Asef anti-ship ballistic missile

Asef is the Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile associated with Red Sea shipping attacks in 2024, described by analysts as a maritime variant of Iran's Fateh-313 family. The catalog entry keeps the system narrowly scoped to the Red Sea Crisis, where it appears in reporting on Houthi ASBM launches against commercial shipping and coalition defenses.

Red Sea CrisisHouthi movement

Conflict side: Houthi movement
Built by: Houthi movement
Built in: Yemen

Asef anti-ship ballistic missile, Anti-ship ballistic missile, Munitions

Image source: Unveiling ceremony of Fateh-313 missile (01)

Profile

Type: Anti-ship ballistic missile
Conflict side: Houthi movement
Origin: Yemen / Iran-derived design
Service note: 2010s-present; documented in the Red Sea Crisis

naval strike precision fires

Service History

In service: Observed in Houthi Red Sea anti-shipping operations from January 2024 onward.
Used by: Houthi movement
Wars: Red Sea Crisis

Production History

Designer: Houthi movement / Iranian-derived design lineage
Designed: 2010s
Built by: Houthi movement
Built in: Yemen
Produced: 2010s-present
Variants: Asef

Specifications

Class: Anti-ship ballistic missile
Range: Reported around 450-500 km in secondary analysis, depending on source
Guidance: Reported inertial guidance with electro-optical or infrared terminal seeker
Warhead: Reported high-explosive warhead, with estimates varying by source
Basing: Road-mobile

Conflict Usage

Red Sea Crisis: Side: Houthi movementRole: Ship strike against commercial and naval targetsstrike precision fires
In the Red Sea Crisis, reporting linked the Houthi Asef anti-ship ballistic missile to attacks on commercial shipping, including the January 2024 M/V Zografia strike and other Houthi ASBM launches from Yemen.

Asef anti-ship ballistic missile Images

Asef anti-ship ballistic missile, Anti-ship ballistic missile, Munitions - view 1 — Source: Unveiling ceremony of Fateh-313 missile (01)

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Sources

Fateh-313Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports Asef background and specs by documenting the Iranian Fateh-313 family that analysts identify as the design basis for the Houthi Asef anti-ship ballistic missile. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Houthi anti-ship missile systems: getting better all the timePublisher: International Institute for Strategic Studies | Note: Supports Asef background as a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile and the reporting that the 450 km-range Asef appears to be a rebranded ASBM version of Iran's Fateh 313 missile. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Video Of Anti-Ship Missile Striking Ship During Red Sea Attack SurfacesPublisher: The War Zone | Note: Supports Red Sea Crisis direct use: analysts tied the Houthi Asef ASBM to the January 16, 2024 Red Sea strike on M/V Zografia and described it as the largest purpose-built Houthi ASBM in the conflict. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Iranian-Backed Houthi Terrorists Conduct Multiple Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile AttacksPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Supports Red Sea Crisis direct use: CENTCOM reported Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile attacks launched from Yemen into the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden during the Red Sea Crisis. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Unveiling ceremony of Fateh-313 missile (01)Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance page for a CC-licensed Fateh-313 missile image used as the closest rights-clear visual analog available for the Asef entry. | Accessed: 2026-06-21