Conflict Armament Research findings indicate the group is attempting to locally manufacture a guided missile with a 1,200-mile range, posing potential new risks to regional stability.
Yemen’s Houthi movement is reportedly attempting to manufacture advanced medium-range ballistic missiles locally, utilizing components imported from China, according to a report by the *Wall Street Journal*.
The findings, published by the weapons supply-chain monitoring group Conflict Armament Research (CAR), indicate that the Houthis procured parts from a Chinese supplier to build a local version of Iran’s powerful “Kheibar Shekan” guided missile.
The projected range of the missile is estimated at approximately 1,200 miles, placing targets across Saudi Arabia and Israel within its potential operational radius. Security analysts consider the Kheibar Shekan particularly lethal due to its reported capacity to evade conventional air defense systems and strike targets with high precision.
The CAR report is based on intelligence gathered from two separate shipments intercepted by Yemeni authorities last year, which concealed missile-related hardware alongside other cargo.
Fabian Hinz, a senior analyst at Conflict Armament Research, noted that such imports strongly suggest active production efforts. “When these types of imports occur, there is a strong possibility that they are manufacturing missiles or at least attempting to do so,” Hinz said, as cited in the report.
However, analysts note that the covert nature of Houthi manufacturing facilities makes it difficult to ascertain the exact current stage of missile production.
The disclosures arrive amid an intensified pattern of Houthi attacks targeting Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. Alongside ongoing Iranian maritime actions in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and surrounding waters, the security developments have contributed to fluctuations in global oil markets. US President Donald Trump recently criticized the group’s actions, calling their behavior disruptive to regional commerce and stability.