Direct proof of use
Ballistic missile use in the 2014 Yemen Civil War is directly documented in CSIS, ACLED, Human Rights Watch, and congressional reporting. CSIS describes Houthi rebels as having fired hundreds of ballistic missiles after the Saudi-led intervention, targeting Arab coalition bases, population centers, and infrastructure from Yemen.
ACLED places the first Houthi Scud missile launch on May 26, 2015, against King Khalid Air Base in Saudi Arabia's Asir region. Later documented launches included Burkan-series missiles: ACLED records Burkan-1 use in 2016, a Burkan-2 missile reaching Riyadh for the first time on February 6, 2017, and a Burkan-2H strike against the Yanbu oil refinery on July 22, 2017.
Sources: CSIS Missile War in Yemen, ACLED Beyond Riyadh, Human Rights Watch Riyadh Airport Strike, CRS Yemen Civil War and Regional Intervention
Timeline
The documented ballistic-missile campaign began soon after Houthi-aligned forces gained access to Yemeni army missile stocks. ACLED reports that the Houthis gained access to the Yemeni army missile stockpile in May 2015 through Saleh-linked missile brigades, then launched a Scud at King Khalid Air Base on May 26, 2015.
The campaign shifted in 2016 and 2017 toward extended-range strikes. ACLED describes the September 2016 unveiling of the Burkan-1, an extended-range Scud/Shahab-1-derived missile, and records a February 6, 2017 Burkan-2 launch that made Riyadh reachable. On November 4, 2017, Human Rights Watch documented a Houthi-Saleh Burkan H2 ballistic missile launch toward King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, with Saudi authorities reporting an intercept and fragments in the airport area.
Sources: ACLED Beyond Riyadh, Human Rights Watch Riyadh Airport Strike, CSIS Qiam-1
Narrative
In Yemen-war service, ballistic missiles gave Houthi-aligned forces a way to reach Saudi bases, airports, ports, oil facilities, and other infrastructure far beyond local front lines. The record includes inherited Scud-family missiles, Hwasong-6/Scud-C stocks, and later extended-range Burkan missiles, while open sources often identify individual attacks by broad missile class rather than by a single model.
ACLED describes the cross-border missile campaign as part of Houthi aerial warfare against Saudi and Emirati territory between 2015 and the April 2022 UN-mediated truce. Its dataset counted nearly 1,000 rocket or missile attacks and more than 350 drone attacks in that period, while noting a shift from unguided rockets toward guided rockets and missiles.
Transfer and supply claims are separate from launch claims. Congressional Research Service reporting, citing the UN Panel of Experts on Yemen, says the Panel concluded in January 2018 that Iran failed to prevent the transfer to Houthi forces of Iranian-made short-range ballistic missiles. CSIS similarly links Burkan-2H use in Yemen to Qiam-1-derived missiles transferred to Houthi militants. Those sources support the assessed supply context, while the operational-use record rests on documented Houthi launches and strike reports.
Sources: CSIS Missile War in Yemen, ACLED Beyond Riyadh, CRS Yemen Civil War and Regional Intervention, CSIS Qiam-1
