By Girish Linganna
On Tuesday evening, Israel verified that a cruise missile launched by the Houthi group had hit an area close to Eilat, a city in the southern part of the country. This event marks the first instance of the group's missile penetrating Israeli air defense systems.
The Israeli military released a statement indicating that a cruise missile, originating from the Red Sea direction, landed in an unpopulated area. Air Force units were tracking the missile's trajectory, the statement noted. The statement mentioned that the incident resulted in no injuries or damage. An investigation into the matter is currently underway.
Despite the absence of fatalities or injuries, this event showcases the long-distance strike capabilities of the militia supported by Iran. The missile originated from Yemen, under Houthi control, approximately 1,600 kilometres away from its intended target. The AGM-158B-2, the United States' cruise missile with the longest range, can travel approximately 1,900 kilometres.
India's BrahMos cruise missile, developed jointly with Russia, is one of its most notable cruise missiles. It can travel up to approximately 290 kilometres in its standard configuration, but there have been developments and plans to extend its range. A newer version of the BrahMos is expected to have a range exceeding 800 kilometres, following India's entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which allows for the development of missiles with longer ranges.
Prior to the recent conflict in Gaza, Houthi cruise missiles, as evidenced by their deployment against targets in Saudi Arabia during Yemen's civil war, were estimated to possess a range of around 1,300 kilometres.
The Quds-3 missile, which has a stated range of 2,000 kilometres, is the only missile in the group's arsenal capable of reaching Eilat, making it their longest-range missile. The Quds series (Quds-1, 2 & 3) consists of cruise missiles designed by Iran, mainly intended for striking targets on land.
The Houthis possess another missile capable of long distances, named the Toufan. However, differing from the stealthy approach of low-flying cruise missiles that evade radar detection, the Toufan operates at higher altitudes, making it more susceptible to interception by air defense systems.
The Houthis Toufan, a cruise missile is powered by liquid fuel, which seems to be a modified variant of Iran's Ghadr missile. This missile is noteworthy due to its capability to reach distances that could potentially include Israel within its range. With a projected range of between 1,350 and 1,950 kilometres, the Toufan represents a considerable risk to the stability of the region.
Weapons Inventory of the Houthis : Since the onset of the Gaza conflict on October 7, the Houthis have launched multiple ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones towards Israel. However, none of these weapons successfully reached their intended targets.
On October 23, a drone operated by the Houthis detonated in the Egyptian town of Taba, wounding six individuals. Then, in November, a drone attack targeted Eilat, launching from Syrian territory where it was deployed by militias supported by Iran.
Earlier attacks involving ballistic and cruise missiles launched by the Houthis towards Israel were successfully intercepted by American and Israeli naval vessels, fighter planes, and ground-based air defense systems.
Ballistic Missiles are unguided and rocket-powered. They follow a high, arching trajectory before descending toward their target. These missiles were used during World War II (e.g., the German V-2 missile). Once launched, their direction cannot be altered. The Agni series of missiles from India also falls under the category of ballistic missiles.
In contrast, Cruise Missiles: are guided, jet or propeller-driven projectiles. They fly at low altitudes, following a flexible path. These missiles are capable of precision strikes. Unlike ballistic missiles, cruise missiles are self-propelled for most of their flight, flying in a relatively straight line .India's Nirbhay and BrahMos missiles serve as examples of cruise missiles.
Cruise missiles, like the one that targeted Eilat on Tuesday, can be intercepted and neutralized by fighter jets, a strategy employed by the Israelis. However, this approach requires maintaining aircraft in flight for extended durations, which is an expensive endeavour.
Cruise missiles travel close to the ground, usually not exceeding 150 meters in altitude, which makes them difficult to detect by radar over long distances due to obstacles like hills and the curvature of the Earth. Their ability to navigate and alter course at low altitudes further challenges air defense units.
Last year, the Houthis launched Quds-3 cruise missiles at Israel, but they were intercepted and destroyed by the USS Carney, a warship, over the Red Sea.
In contrast, ballistic missiles ascend to high altitudes, typically following a predictable “ballistic arc.” This trajectory allows air defense systems, like the US Patriot or Israeli Arrow, sufficient opportunity to detect and shoot them down.
The somewhat effective deployment of the cruise missile, managing to evade Red Sea naval air defenses even without striking a target, might mark a significant moment in demonstrating Iran's capacity for power projection.
Iran appears to be seizing the chance to evaluate its weapons systems in a real combat environment by supplying sophisticated armaments to its proxy groups, according to Mick Mulroy, a former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, in a statement to The National, as reported by MENA region media outlet.
The Houthis have stated that their involvement in the Gaza conflict, including the blockade of the Red Sea, aims to compel Israel to agree to a ceasefire. Mick Mulroy, who previously served as a CIA officer, mentioned that Iran has “played a significant role in the Gaza conflict” by providing Hamas with a substantial portion of its military capabilities.
According to a UN investigation, in 2019, the Houthis employed cruise missiles of Iranian design to strike oil facilities in Khurais, Saudi Arabia, situated approximately 800km away from territories controlled by the Houthis.
The UN discovered that the Houthis utilized the Quds-1 missile, which experts identify as a variant of the Soumar cruise missile, an Iranian armament. This deployment is part of a longstanding supply of Iranian weapons to the Houthis, tracing back to as early as 2009. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Quds-3 represents an advancement over the Quds-1, designed with an increased fuel capacity.
Despite the difficulty in intercepting these weapons, the US has significantly invested in enhancing the capabilities of the Patriot air defense missile systems to target low-flying cruise missiles. These improved systems have been provided to Israel by both the US and Germany.
Although the Israelis did not specify the system used to track the missile, they also possess the David's Sling missile defense system. Similar to the Patriot, David's Sling is designed to selectively intercept or ignore missiles projected to land in uninhabited areas, which might have been the approach taken with the missile heading towards Eilat. (IPA Service)
