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On October 18, the Yemeni Missiles Force [loyal to the Houthis] announced that it had launched a Badir-1 “ballistic missile” at a gathering of Saudi-led coalition troops in the district of Kitaf wa al-Boqe’e in the northern Yemeni province of Saada.
“The missile hit its target accurately, which resulted in direct loses among the mercenaries [Saudi-backed Yemeni fighters],” a source in the Yemeni Missiles Force told the al-Masirah TV.
The Royal Saudi Air Defense Force (RSAD) didn’t intercept any aerial object over Saada, which confirms that the Houthis’ rocket reached its target. This was expected, as the RSAD operates within Saudi Arabia territory only.
While the Yemeni Missiles Forces claim that the Badir-1 is a “ballistic missile,” experts believe that it is in fact a locally-made copy of the Iranian Fajir-3 artillery rocket. Supposedly, the rocket’s range exceeds 40km.
Since the beginning of this month, the Houthis stepped down their rocket and missile attacks, which may mean that the Yemeni group is facing manufacturing and operating difficulties. Such problems were likely caused by the tight siege imposed by the coalition on the war-torn country.
