Direct proof of use
The clearest public evidence for 122 mm Katyusha/Grad-family rockets in the 2014 Yemen Civil War comes from Aden in July 2015. Human Rights Watch investigated repeated rocket and mortar attacks on areas of Aden held by southern resistance forces and published an image caption identifying a remnant from what appeared to be a 122 mm rocket after a July 7-8 attack on Mansoura district.
Human Rights Watch assessed that the impact marks and attack geometry were consistent with fire from the direction of front lines within range of pro-Houthi forces. Al Jazeera separately reported that Houthis and allied forces fired 15 artillery rockets from Dar Saad into Mansoura on 1 July 2015, killing at least 17 civilians according to medical sources.
Sources: HRW Houthi Artillery in Aden, Al Jazeera Aden Rocket Artillery
Dated milestones
On 1 July 2015, Al Jazeera reported rocket artillery fire into Aden's Mansoura district from Houthi and allied positions in Dar Saad. The article describes the attack as 15 artillery rockets and places it within the battle for Aden.
Human Rights Watch later investigated attacks from 1 July onward. Its fieldwork and interviews covered repeated strikes in Mansoura and Dar Saad, including apparent 122 mm rocket remnants from the July 7-8 Mansoura attack and multiple later rocket impacts near hotels and homes in Mansoura.
Supply evidence is distinct from firing evidence. CSIS assessed that Iran provided the Houthis with weapons and technology including 122 mm Katyusha rockets, while its separate missile-war study described Houthi projectile holdings as drawn from Yemeni government stockpiles, Iranian supply routes, and smaller battlefield captures.
Sources: Al Jazeera Aden Rocket Artillery, HRW Houthi Artillery in Aden, CSIS Iranian and Houthi War, CSIS Missile War in Yemen
Use pattern
In the Aden evidence, 122 mm Katyusha-style rockets appear as unguided area-fire weapons rather than precision weapons. The documented use was urban rocket artillery fire into Mansoura and other Aden neighborhoods during the 2015 battle, attributed by the cited reporting to pro-Houthi, Houthi, and allied forces firing from nearby front-line areas.
The sources support Houthi-aligned possession and use in Yemen but should be separated by claim type. Human Rights Watch and Al Jazeera support the firing incidents in Aden; CSIS supports the broader supply and arsenal context for 122 mm Katyusha rockets in Houthi hands. The public record used here does not identify a specific 122 mm rocket variant, launcher vehicle, or individual launch unit in the Aden attacks.
Sources: HRW Houthi Artillery in Aden, Al Jazeera Aden Rocket Artillery, CSIS Iranian and Houthi War, CSIS Missile War in Yemen
