Why are Houthi missiles breaking through Saudi Arabia’s air defences?

Houthi missiles continue to evade Saudi Arabia's air defences, sparking concerns about the limitations of even the most advanced systems.

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Repeated Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia's King Khalid Airport have revealed the limitations of even the most high-tech air defences, according to Al Jazeera English. The Yemeni group, also known as Ansar Allah, has been hitting deep inside Saudi Arabia with waves of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. The attacks have resulted in significant damage and casualties, with the deadliest attack in over a decade killing 12 people and wounding 309.

Saudi Arabia possesses one of the best-equipped militaries in the world, boasting advanced, multilayered air defence systems. However, the Houthis' arsenal has come a long way since the group seized control of Sanaa from the government in September 2014. Their drones and missiles have reached as far as Israel and have shown a high degree of accuracy, allowing them to hit particular targets such as Saudi airports and oil facilities.

The exact type of weapon used to attack Riyadh airport is unknown, but the Houthis have fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Saudi Arabia since the 2015 intervention. The group has also targeted Israel and allegedly Israeli-linked vessels since the start of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023. The Houthis have used their weapons in concert, mixing drones and missiles of varying speeds to confound air defences.

The Houthis' most advanced options include medium-range ballistic missiles such as the Palestine-2, a two-stage solid fuel missile believed to have a range of 2,000km with hypersonic capabilities. Another is the Toufan, which appears to be a rebranded Iranian Ghadr missile, thought to have a range of between 1,350km and 1,950km. The reach of those missiles has allowed the Houthis to breach Israel's air defence network, some 2,000 km from Yemen.

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