Yemeni armed forces have successfully tested a hypersonic missile with high destructive capability, amid escalating tensions over the targeting of Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea.
The missile can reach speeds of up to Mach 8 (6,200 miles per hour) and is powered by solid fuel, an unnamed military source told Russia’s Sputnik news agency on Thursday.
“Yemen plans to begin manufacturing it for use in attacks in the Red and Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel,” the source added.
The source went on to say that following months of testing, Yemeni forces have also upgraded their missiles and drones to carry warheads of twice the explosive power as what it had in its arsenal.
The latest development comes a week after Yemen’s Ansarullah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said new weapons were used in the recent operations in the Red Sea which surprised the American and the British, warning, “What comes next will be greater in every sense of the word.”
Yemen’s Defense Minister Major General Mohammad Nasser al-Atifi, also stated last week, “The Armed Forces have many cards they have not yet played.”
Yemeni forces have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Gulf of Aden in support of Palestinians.
They say the operations will continue unless Israel stops its war on the besieged Gaza Strip, which has killed at least 31,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since early October.
The maritime attacks have forced some of the world’s biggest shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.
Yemen’s armed forces have also added US and British assets to their list of legitimate targets after the two countries began targeting Yemen from the air and sea in early January in support of Israel’s war on Gaza.
