Houthis are learning to go it alone

A satellite photo showing smoke from an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia after a Houthi attack on Sept 8. The Houthis are increasingly using artificial intelligence and other tools to produce advanced weaponry on their own, making them less reliant on Iran. — Planet Labs/ The New York Times

THE popular image of Yemen’s Houthi rebels is of men on the backs of pickup trucks, firing AK-47s into the desert air.

Yet the group has launched long-range missile strikes at Israel, more than 1,600km away. The Houthis prey on ship traffic in the Red Sea with naval drones. The group said recently it had downed a Saudi fighter jet over Yemen using a locally made missile.