Relatively unknown a decade ago, the Houthis have remained largely under the radar of Western intelligence services.
Their attacks, often with home-assembled drones and missiles, are simple but effective, dramatically reducing Red Sea shipping volumes as cargo companies have avoided the route.
It is difficult to assess the extent of their arsenal or how badly the latest U.S. campaign has affected their military capacities.
Jeremy Binnie of British private intelligence firm Janes said “The assumption is that the know-how for the sophisticated weapons come from Iran,” “Some local manufacturing is taking place to reduce the burden on the smuggling networks, although the extent that is happening isn’t particularly clear,” .
The Conflict Armament Research (CAR) group said the group was “attempting to use hydrogen fuel cells to power their” drones. If the experiment is successful, they would be the first non-state actor to do so.
“This is no longer a small group manufacturing underdeveloped weapons,” Lons said, underlining the increased “complexity of what the Houthis are capable of producing by themselves.”
