Houthis reportedly have hypersonic missiles and are ready to use them

(Patria) - The Houthis claim to have a new, hypersonic missile in their arsenal, Russian state media reported on Thursday. The RIA Novosti state news agency report cited an unidentified official, but provided no evidence for the claim, AP reported.

However, the Houthis have been hinting for weeks about "surprises" they plan for sea battles to counter the United States and its allies.

On Thursday, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the supreme leader of the Houthis, said they would begin attacking ships heading towards the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa. So far, they have mainly attacked ships heading for the Suez Canal, and such an escalation would target a longer, alternative route used by some vessels. It remains unclear how they would carry out any possible attack.

Meanwhile, Iran and the US have reportedly held indirect talks in Oman, the first in months amid long-simmering tensions over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program and attacks by pro-Iranian forces.

Iran claims to have a hypersonic missile and to have armed the rebels with missiles they are now using. Adding a hypersonic missile to their arsenal could pose a greater challenge to the air defense systems used by America and its allies, including Israel.

"The group's missile forces have successfully tested a missile that can reach speeds of up to 8 Mach and runs on solid fuel," a military official close to the Houthis said, according to RIA. The Houthis "intend to start producing it for use during attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel."

A speed of 8 Mach is eight times the speed of sound. Hypersonic weapons, which fly at speeds greater than Mach 5, could pose key challenges to missile defense systems due to their speed and maneuverability. Ballistic missiles fly on a trajectory where anti-missile systems like the US-made Patriot can predict their trajectory and intercept them. The more irregular the missile's flight path, like a hypersonic missile with the ability to change direction, the harder it is to intercept.

China is believed to be developing these weapons, as is America. Russia claims to have already used them. Abdul Malik al-Houthi says his fighters "continue to expand the effectiveness and scope of our operations to areas and locations that the enemy never expects." He said they would prevent ships "associated with the Israeli enemy from even crossing the Indian Ocean... heading towards the Cape of Good Hope."

The Houthis do not have a navy, nor do they have weapons that can reach distant points in the Indian Ocean, which makes the threat to the Cape of Good Hope difficult. However, Iran is suspected of targeting Israel-linked vessels that were previously in the Indian Ocean.

After seizing Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in 2014, the Houthis looted government arsenals containing Soviet-era Scud missiles and other weapons. As the Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict in Yemen on behalf of the exiled government in 2015, the Houthi arsenal was targeted. Soon, and despite Yemen not having domestic missile production infrastructure, newer missiles came into their hands.

Iran has denied arming the Houthis. However, the US and its allies have seized multiple shipments of weapons for the rebels in Middle Eastern waters. Iran now claims to have hypersonic weapons. Iran unveiled the Fattah, or "conqueror" in Farsi, missile in June, which it said was hypersonic.

Iran's UN mission did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Asked about the hypersonic claim, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said:

"We have no indication that they have that capability at all." The Israeli military declined to comment, AP reported.