Direct proof of use
Qaher-1 use in the 2014 Yemen Civil War is documented by UN Panel of Experts reporting and specialist missile-war studies. The 2017 UN Panel reported that Houthi or Saleh forces had launched improvised Qaher-1 free-flight rockets against Saudi Arabia and described the missile as a surface-to-surface conversion of S-75 Dvina / SA-2 Guideline stocks.
CSIS describes Qaher-1 as a Houthi conversion of Yemeni V-755 surface-to-air missiles from S-75 systems into unguided land-attack rockets. It says the Houthis fielded Qaher-1 in late 2015, first fired it in December 2015, and used it as part of the missile campaign against Saudi border-region targets.
Sources: UN Panel of Experts on Yemen 2017, The Missile War in Yemen
Timeline
The Qaher-1 record begins after the Saudi-led coalition intervention and after Houthi-aligned forces retained enough missile capability to continue cross-border fire. CSIS reports that the Houthis created a missile research division in May 2015 and converted around 200 V-755 missiles into Qaher-1 rockets, with fielding in late 2015.
Public launch reporting concentrated on Saudi border areas and military sites. CSIS cites a December 13, 2015 Qaher-1 launch against King Khalid Air Base near Khamis Mushait and lists a December 21, 2015 Qaher-1 targeting Saudi Aramco in Jizan. UN reporting states that Qaher-1 free-flight rocket attacks continued into 2017, with the last confirmed firing on March 27, 2017.
Sources: The Missile War in Yemen, UN Panel of Experts on Yemen 2018
Narrative
In Yemen-war service, Qaher-1 was a Houthi-aligned long-range strike weapon rather than an air-defense missile. The conversion reused obsolete S-75/SA-2 missile stocks whose normal air-defense role had limited value against coalition aircraft. The UN Panel assessed that the missile was almost certainly used as a free-flight rocket, making its surface-to-surface accuracy inherently limited.
The documented role was cross-border attack against Saudi towns, bases, and infrastructure within the missile's reported range. The Washington Institute described unguided Qaher-1 free-flight missiles launched at targets up to 250 km inside Saudi Arabia, particularly King Khalid Air Base and the adjacent Khamis Mushait Military City, and reported around sixty claimed Qaher-1 strikes overall.
The public evidence is stronger for the weapon's fielding and launch pattern than for precise battle-damage outcomes from individual shots. UN reporting and CSIS both identify Qaher-1 as an improvised S-75-derived system used by Houthi-Saleh or Houthi-aligned forces, while individual launch accounts often rely on coalition intercept statements or Houthi-aligned claims about targets.
Sources: UN Panel of Experts on Yemen 2017, UN Panel of Experts on Yemen 2018, The Missile War in Yemen, Countering Iran's Missile Proliferation in Yemen
