Direct proof of use
Palestine 2 is documented in the 2023 Red Sea Crisis through Houthi-aligned claims of Yemen-launched ballistic-missile attacks against Israel, supported by Israeli and independent reporting on the same missile events. On September 15, 2024, Houthi and analytical sources identified the missile fired toward central Israel as Palestine 2; the IDF separately reported that a surface-to-surface missile had been fired from Yemen toward Israeli territory that morning.
The December 16, 2024 claim provides a second clear public identification. Al Jazeera reported Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree saying that a missile attack on central Israel used a hypersonic ballistic missile called Palestine 2, while the Israeli military said a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted before crossing into Israel.
Sources: SABA Palestine 2 Specifications, Alma Palestine 2 Missile Analysis, Atlantic Council Houthi Hypersonic Analysis, IDF Yemen Missile September 2024, Al Jazeera Houthis Claim Palestine 2 Attack
Timeline
A related Palestine missile appeared before the Palestine 2 label. AP reported that Houthi forces fired a new solid-fuel Palestine missile toward Eilat on June 3, 2024, with sirens but no reported damage or injuries; AP also noted that the Houthi video showed the missile raised on a mobile launcher and emitting white smoke consistent with solid-fuel missiles.
On September 15, 2024, the named Palestine 2 system entered the public record after a Yemen-origin missile reached central Israel. Houthi/SABA material presented Palestine 2 as the weapon used against the Jaffa region and claimed a two-stage solid-fuel design with 2,150 km range and Mach 16 speed. Atlantic Council analysis described the launch as the Houthis' longest-range attack on Israeli territory to that date and cautioned that the hypersonic claim should be treated skeptically.
Houthi-aligned SABA later reported additional Palestine 2 claims, including a September 28, 2024 operation targeting Ben Gurion Airport and a November 11, 2024 operation targeting Nahal Sorek. On December 16, Al Jazeera reported a Houthi claim that another central-Israel attack used Palestine 2, while Israeli forces said the missile from Yemen was intercepted.
Sources: AP Palestine Solid-Fuel Missile Report, SABA Palestine 2 Specifications, Atlantic Council Houthi Hypersonic Analysis, SABA Jaffa Airport Claim, SABA Nahal Sorek Claim, Al Jazeera Houthis Claim Palestine 2 Attack
Narrative
In this conflict, Palestine 2's documented role was long-range strike and signaling from Houthi-controlled Yemen against Israel. The weapon was not reported as an anti-shipping missile in the Red Sea lane itself; its conflict connection is the wider Red Sea crisis front in which the Houthi movement attacked Israel, commercial shipping, and naval forces after October 2023.
The user was the Houthi movement or Houthi-aligned forces. Public evidence separates Houthi claims about the exact missile model from Israeli confirmation of Yemen-launched surface-to-surface missile incidents: Israeli sources generally confirm the incoming Yemen missile events, while Houthi-aligned or secondary sources identify Palestine 2 as the named missile used.
The weapon's origin and performance remain disputed in public sources. Houthi-aligned SABA described Palestine 2 as locally made, stealthy, maneuverable, two-stage, solid-fuel, and capable of Mach 16. AP cautioned in June 2024 that the Houthis are not known to have local capacity to manufacture complex missile and guidance systems, and Atlantic Council analysis noted visual similarity with Iranian Fattah-family designs while questioning the claimed hypersonic performance.
Sources: IDF Houthis Projectiles January 2025, SABA Palestine 2 Specifications, AP Palestine Solid-Fuel Missile Report, Atlantic Council Houthi Hypersonic Analysis, Alma Palestine 2 Missile Analysis
