Why are Houthi missiles breaking through Saudi Arabia's air defences?

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1. 1

   Houthis (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Oct 11, 2026Checked Oct 11, 2026

   “The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah or Ansarullah, are a Zaydi revivalist and Shia Islamist political and paramilitary organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydis, whose namesake leadership is drawn largely from the al-Houthi family. The Houthis are backed by Iran, and they are widely considered part of the Iranian-led Axis of Resistance. The group has been a central player in Yemen's civil war, drawing widespread international condemnation for its human rights abuses, including targeting civilians and using child soldiers. The movement is designated as a terrorist organization by some countries. Under the leadership of Zaydi religious leader Hussein al-Houthi, the Houthis emerged as an opposition movement to Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whom they accused of corruption and being backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States. In 2003, influenced by the Lebanese Shia political and military organization Hezbollah, the Houthis adopted their official slogan against the United States, Israel, and the Jewish people. Al-Houthi resisted Saleh's order for his arrest, and he was killed by the Yemeni military in Saada in 2004.”

2. 2

   Saudi Arabia's costly war in Yemen: a neoclassical realist theory of overbalancing.

   International relations (David Davies Memorial Institute of International Studies) (Juneau)Published Feb 13, 2024Checked Oct 11, 2026

   “Saudi Arabia faced multiple threats from Yemen in 2015: its southern neighbor had collapsed; a hostile sub-state actor, the Houthis, was entrenching itself along the border; and the presence of its rival Iran was growing. Responding was rational; it would have been sub-optimal for Riyadh to underbalance by doing little to counter the threat. Instead, however, Saudi Arabia overbalanced by launching a major air campaign and imposing a maritime and air blockade; as a result, it became bogged down in a costly war it cannot win. Why was this the case, and with what consequences? To answer this question, this article develops and applies a neoclassical realist theory of overbalancing. The first objective is nomothetic: to develop a theory of overbalancing, an important phenomenon neglected by the balancing literature. The second is empirical: to shed light on the Saudi decision to launch the war in Yemen.”

3. 3

   The Coercive Logic of Militant Drone Use.

   Parameters : journal of the US Army War College (Doctor & Walsh)Published Jan 1, 2021Checked Oct 11, 2026

   “While unmanned aerial systems can serve as a force multiplier for militants, these systems do not embody a transformation in modern insurgent warfare or enable militants to engage regularly in strategic coercion. Instead, drone use is consistent with a militant group's relative capabilities and broader strategic objectives. Consequently, these groups are likely to employ drones primarily for theater and tactical military purposes.”