2014 Yemen Civil War

9M133 Kornet in the 2014 Yemen Civil War

Conflict Armament Research documented a Russian-manufactured 9M133-1 Kornet recovered from a Houthi fighting position in Taiz and linked its lot and serial sequence to Kornets seized from a dhow cargo assessed as bound for Yemen.

Weapon profile9M133 Kornet
SideHouthi-aligned forcesRoleAnti-ArmorInsurgent / Guerrilla UseCaptured, Seized & Recovered
9M133 Kornet, Laser beam-riding anti-tank guided missile system, Infantry Weapons - 2014 Yemen Civil War
Image source: File:9M133 Kornet.JPG

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
A Russian-manufactured 9M133-1 Kornet was reportedly recovered from a Houthi fighting position in Taiz province on 29 November 2015.

Sources: CAR Maritime Interdictions, CSIS Missile War Yemen

The Taiz Kornet's lot and serial sequence matched Kornets seized by FS Provence from a dhow off Oman in March 2016.

Sources: CAR Maritime Interdictions

Public reporting compiled by CSIS describes the AT-14/Kornet family as part of the Houthi anti-tank arsenal and cites later seizure and firing-video claims.

Sources: CSIS Missile War Yemen

Timeline

9M133 Kornet In 2014 Yemen Civil War

  1. Kornet recovered from a Taiz fighting position

    CAR documented a Russian-manufactured 9M133-1 Kornet that UAE forces reportedly captured from a Houthi fighting position in Taiz province.

    Sources: CAR Maritime Interdictions, CSIS Missile War Yemen

  2. FS Provence seizes Kornets from a dhow

    The French frigate FS Provence intercepted a dhow off Oman carrying nine Russian-manufactured Kornet ATGWs; CAR later matched the Taiz Kornet's lot and serial sequence to weapons in this seizure.

    Sources: CAR Maritime Interdictions, CSIS Missile War Yemen

  3. Additional AT-14 evidence reported

    CSIS summarized later evidence that included Kornet or Dehlaviyeh seizures in Marib province and videos described as showing Houthi AT-14 use against Saudi armor.

    Sources: CSIS Missile War Yemen

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The clearest documented Kornet evidence in the 2014 Yemen Civil War comes from Conflict Armament Research's examination of materiel recovered in Yemen and of weapons seized at sea. CAR reported that United Arab Emirates forces said they captured a Russian-manufactured 9M133-1 Kornet anti-tank guided weapon from a Houthi fighting position in Taiz province on 29 November 2015.

CAR compared the recovered Taiz Kornet with Kornets seized by the French frigate FS Provence from a dhow off Oman on 20 March 2016. The Taiz weapon's lot number matched five Kornets in the FS Provence seizure and its serial number fell in the same sequence, which CAR assessed as supporting the conclusion that the dhow cargo was ultimately destined for Yemen.

Sources: CAR Maritime Interdictions, CSIS Missile War Yemen

Timeline

The first dated direct-use milestone in the public record is the 29 November 2015 Taiz recovery described by CAR. The second major milestone is the 20 March 2016 FS Provence seizure, which supplied the serial-number comparison tying interdicted Kornets to materiel recovered in Yemen.

CSIS later summarized the AT-14/Kornet evidence in its appendix on the Houthi missile arsenal, noting the Taiz capture, the FS Provence seizure, subsequent Kornet or Dehlaviyeh seizures in Marib province, and video claims of Houthi AT-14 use against Saudi tanks in Najran, Jizan, and elsewhere.

Sources: CAR Maritime Interdictions, CSIS Missile War Yemen

Narrative

In Yemen, the Kornet appears in the Houthi-aligned arsenal as a heavy anti-armor guided weapon, alongside Iranian Dehlaviyeh ATGWs and other anti-tank systems. The strongest public evidence is not a procurement announcement but a battlefield recovery linked to maritime interdiction records.

The Taiz recovery separates possession from use: CAR's source identified the location as a Houthi fighting position, while the serial-number match connected the recovered missile to the same production run as missiles seized at sea. CSIS adds broader conflict context by describing the AT-14 as likely the Houthis' longest-range ATGM and by recording reported Houthi firing videos, but those video claims remain less direct than the CAR-documented recovery and serial-number chain.

Sources: CAR Maritime Interdictions, CSIS Missile War Yemen

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Sources