Direct proof of use
Misagh-2 and closely related QW-18-pattern MANPADS appear in the 2014 Yemen Civil War record through Houthi-aligned possession, fielding, and transfer evidence rather than a public, source-verified Misagh-2 firing incident. Oryx listed Misagh-2 under Houthi man-portable air-defense systems in its September 2022 Houthi drone and missile inventory, marking the system as a post-takeover weapon in Yemen from 2022.
Small Arms Survey separately identified at least one QW-18-pattern MANPADS displayed by Houthi soldiers during a military graduation ceremony in Yemen's Sixth Military District, Amran, in August 2022. The same report describes Iran as having imported QW-18 systems before assembling them domestically as Misagh-2, making the Amran imagery direct support for a QW-18/Misagh-2-pattern air-defense capability in Houthi hands.
Sources: Houthi Drone And Missile Handbook, Persistent Perils: Illicit MANPADS in the MENA Region
Timeline
A January 2013 maritime interdiction predates the formal 2014 civil-war start but is relevant to the later Yemen conflict because the Jihan-1 shipment was described by CTC West Point as carrying Iranian-made Misagh-2 MANPADS rounds and battery units in an Iran-linked supply effort to Ansar Allah. That evidence supports a transfer pathway and component context, not a dated battlefield launch.
The clearest dated in-conflict fielding evidence comes from 2022. Oryx published its Houthi inventory in September 2022 with Misagh-2 listed among Houthi MANPADS, and Small Arms Survey later documented August 2022 Houthi ceremony footage showing QW-18-pattern and QW-1-pattern MANPADS in Amran.
Sources: The Houthi War Machine: From Guerrilla War to State Capture, Houthi Drone And Missile Handbook, Persistent Perils: Illicit MANPADS in the MENA Region
Narrative
In Houthi-aligned service, the Misagh-2 belongs to the conflict's short-range air-defense layer: a shoulder-fired infrared system relevant against helicopters, unmanned aircraft, cruise missiles, and other low-flying targets. The public sources support fielding and display in Yemen, but they do not identify a specific aircraft downed by a Misagh-2 in the cited record.
Arms Control Wonk describes the Misagh-2 as one of the MANPADS types in Houthi possession and links the series to Iranian imports into Yemen, including earlier smuggling examples and a 2022 parade appearance. It also notes the logistical distinction between the Misagh series and older Strela systems: the Misagh/QW family uses cooled infrared seekers and appears more dependent on imported support items than the simpler Strela systems that Houthis could sustain with improvised batteries.
The conservative conflict-use claim is therefore that Houthi-aligned forces possessed and fielded Misagh-2 or QW-18-pattern MANPADS as part of their short-range air-defense inventory during the 2014 Yemen Civil War. Public evidence reviewed here supports possession, display, and transfer context; it does not establish a specific Misagh-2 firing date, target, or battle damage result.
Sources: Mad Max MANPADS in Yemen, Persistent Perils: Illicit MANPADS in the MENA Region, Houthi Drone And Missile Handbook
