Wreckage marked 'DF-15A' found in Yemen

China's long-denied missile sales to Middle East come under renewed scrutiny

Analysts say move signals new strategic card — and a warning to Iran

Houthi fighters advance toward Saudi Arabia on Saturday (local time). [AP]
Houthi fighters advance toward Saudi Arabia on Saturday (local time). [AP]

Saudi Arabia appears to have used a Chinese-made ballistic missile against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen for the first time, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday (local time).

Yemeni government officials and weapons experts who analyzed missile wreckage recently found in Yemen said it appeared to be a Chinese-made Dongfeng DF-15A short-range ballistic missile in Saudi Arabia's arsenal. Neither the Saudi nor the Chinese government has officially confirmed that the missile was fired.

Videos circulating on social media showed Yemeni residents gathered around the missile body, using mobile phone flashlights to examine its fins, motor and serial numbers. The letters "DF-15A" were printed in bold black on the side of the fuselage.

Experts said the fixed fins and drive motor visible in the wreckage matched the characteristics of the DF-15 series ballistic missile seen in training footage previously released by Chinese state media.

The DF-15A is a solid-fuel short-range ballistic missile developed by China with a range of about 600 miles (965 kilometers). It can be launched from a mobile platform, making rapid deployment possible.

Both Houthi officials and Yemeni government officials said Saudi Arabia fired the missile.

A Saudi government official also said "the Houthi rebels do not possess DF-15 missiles," implying that Saudi Arabia launched it.

Only the missile body was recovered. The warhead separates during flight and travels farther, so it remains unclear what target inside Yemen the missile struck.

If Saudi Arabia did fire the missile, it would mark the first time the kingdom has used a ballistic missile in its long-running conflict with the Houthis, the Journal said.

It would also shed new light on China's missile sales to the Middle East, which Beijing has long denied. The Journal noted that the United States has long identified Saudi Arabia as a buyer of Chinese missiles, but this has never been specifically confirmed.

Sascha Bruchmann, a researcher at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Saudi Arabia appeared to be "playing a card it had not shown before in order to rebalance the strategic equation."

The missile use comes as Saudi Arabia's economy faces mounting pressure from the widening conflict in the Middle East.

With the Strait of Hormuz — a vital artery for global energy — in effect blockaded for months amid clashes between the United States and Iran, the Houthis have recently seized control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which has emerged as a key corridor for regional oil exports.

Last week, a drone strike shut down a key Saudi oil pipeline.

Experts said the missile use may also have been intended as a warning to Iran, not just the Houthi rebels — the DF-15A's range is sufficient to reach Iran's southern coast.

However, Sam Lair, a researcher at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, a US think tank, said "if a ballistic missile exchange with Iran were to begin, Saudi Arabia's entire missile infrastructure could be put at risk, which would be a significant burden for the kingdom."

Meanwhile, the Houthis said in a statement posted on social media that Saudi Arabia had carried out 40 airstrikes on western Yemen over the past 24 hours using F-15 fighter jets.

The Houthis also claimed they had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib province in northeastern Yemen using a surface-to-air missile of their own manufacture.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com