During the 2014 Yemen Civil War, Houthi-aligned forces publicly displayed the Quds-Z-0 in Sanaa as an anti-shipping Quds/Paveh-family cruise-missile variant.
Role detailsMunitions
Quds-Z-0 anti-ship cruise missile
Also known as
- Quds Z-0
- Quds-Z0
- Quds Z0
- Qods Z-0
The Quds-Z-0 is a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile unveiled in 2023 as an EO/IR-guided maritime derivative of the Iranian Paveh/Quds cruise-missile family. Open-source analysis ties it to Houthi parade displays in Yemen and later lists it among the Paveh/Quds-based anti-ship cruise missiles used in the Red Sea anti-shipping campaign, with individual strike attribution still limited in public reporting.
Role in Conflicts
- Side
- Houthi movement
In the 2023 Red Sea Crisis, IISS listed Quds-Z-0 and Sayyad as Paveh/Quds-based anti-ship cruise missiles used in the Houthi anti-shipping campaign, while public reporting did not consistently assign individual ship attacks to Quds-Z-0.
Role detailsProfile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- Yemen / Iran
- Type
- Anti-ship cruise missile
- Service note
- First publicly revealed in 2023
- Designer
- Iranian Paveh-family design adapted by Houthi forces
- Designed
- 2023
- Produced
- 2023-present
Specifications
- Range
- At least 800 km; Paveh/Quds-based anti-ship variants are assessed in a roughly 900-2,000 km class depending on baseline
- Guidance
- Electro-optical / infrared terminal seeker
- Target set
- Land and naval targets claimed; anti-ship mission emphasized
- Family
- Paveh / Project 351 / Quds-series anti-ship derivative
- Related anti-ship counterpart
- Sayyad radar-seeker variant
Open-Source Identification
The Quds-Z-0 record depends on open-source identification rather than a manufacturer datasheet. Public sources agree on its Houthi anti-ship role and Quds/Paveh family connection, but they separate broad campaign use from confirmed attribution for individual ship attacks.
| Evidence point | What sources support | Limit to preserve |
|---|---|---|
| Displayed designation | IISS and CTC identify Quds-Z-0 among newer Houthi anti-shipping missiles shown in Sanaa. | Parade display supports fielding and service context, not a specific strike by itself. |
| Seeker split | IISS describes Quds-Z-0 as the EO/IR-guided anti-ship version and Sayyad as the radar-seeker counterpart. | Published images and descriptions remain limited compared with full technical manuals. |
| Red Sea campaign use | IISS later grouped Quds-Z-0 and Sayyad among Paveh/Quds-based anti-ship cruise missiles used in the Houthi anti-shipping campaign. | Open reporting does not consistently assign named ship impacts to Quds-Z-0 specifically. |
Sources: Little and large missile surprises in Sanaa and Tehran; Houthi anti-ship missile systems: getting better all the time; The Houthis' Campaign in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden; Assessing the Houthi War Effort Since October 2023.
Variants
Open-source reporting treats Quds-Z-0 as part of the wider Quds/Paveh cruise-missile family, with seeker and mission changes distinguishing the anti-ship versions from earlier land-attack Quds missiles.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Earlier land-attack Quds family member | The Quds-Z-0 sits in the same Quds/Paveh cruise-missile lineage as the earlier Houthi Quds land-attack missiles, but is adapted for maritime targeting. Sources: Houthi anti-ship missile systems: getting better all the time, The Houthis' Campaign in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden |
 | Radar-homing anti-ship counterpart | IISS describes Sayyad as a related Paveh/Quds-based anti-ship cruise missile, differentiated from Quds-Z-0 by its radar seeker. Sources: Houthi anti-ship missile systems: getting better all the time, The Houthis' Campaign in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden |
Timeline
Quds-Z-0 anti-ship cruise missile Key Events
Quds-Z-0 displayed in Sanaa
Houthi-aligned forces displayed the Quds-Z-0 during the September 2023 Sanaa parade, introducing it publicly as part of their anti-shipping missile arsenal.
Sources: Little and large missile surprises in Sanaa and Tehran, Assessing the Houthi War Effort Since October 2023
IISS assesses seeker and range context
IISS described Quds-Z-0 as the EO/IR-guided anti-ship member of the Quds/Paveh family and estimated the family range at at least 800 km from available Houthi claims and Quds baseline data.
Sources: Houthi anti-ship missile systems: getting better all the time
Listed among Red Sea campaign missiles
The IISS Red Sea campaign assessment published in December 2024 listed Quds-Z-0 and Sayyad among Paveh/Quds-based anti-ship cruise missiles used by the Houthis in the anti-shipping campaign, while noting attribution limits around particular launch events.
Sources: The Houthis' Campaign in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
Munition, missile, Quds Z-0Publisher: Fenix Insight | Note: Supports Quds Z-0 identification, Yemen/Iran manufacture context, and the missile's classification as a Yemeni (Houthi) anti-ship cruise missile. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Little and large missile surprises in Sanaa and TehranPublisher: International Institute for Strategic Studies | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct fielding context and technical details: the Quds Z-0 appeared in the September 2023 Sanaa parade, appeared to have an electro-optical or infrared seeker, and was claimed to be able to engage land and naval targets. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Houthi anti-ship missile systems: getting better all the timePublisher: International Institute for Strategic Studies | Note: Supports technical and family context: Quds Z-0 is an anti-ship Houthi system derived from the Quds family, differentiated from Sayyad by seeker type, and estimated from the original Quds baseline and Houthi statements to reach at least 800 km. | Accessed: 2026-06-29The Houthis' Campaign in the Red Sea and the Gulf of AdenPublisher: International Institute for Strategic Studies | Note: Supports 2023 Red Sea Crisis direct conflict-use: IISS lists Quds-Z-0 and Sayyad as Paveh/Quds-based anti-ship cruise missiles used by the Houthis in the anti-shipping campaign, with attribution limits around specific launch events. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Assessing the Houthi War Effort Since October 2023Publisher: Combating Terrorism Center at West Point | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct fielding context: newer systems shown at Houthi parades in 2022-2023 included the Quds-Z-0 anti-shipping variant fielded by Houthi forces. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Yemen’s “Southern Hezbollah” Celebrates Coup Anniversary in Deadly FashionPublisher: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War background: Houthi fighters paraded new and existing weapons in Sanaa on September 21, 2023, during the 2014 Yemen Civil War. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Sacred Defence Week parade, 2023, in Tehran (107).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 4.0 licensing for a clear-license representative Paveh-family missile image used here as a close visual analogue to the Quds-Z-0 parent design. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Sacred Defence Week parade, 2023, in Tehran (020).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 4.0 licensing for a second clear-license representative Paveh-family missile image. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Sacred Defence Week parade, 2023, in Tehran (221).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and license for a third clear-license representative Paveh-family missile image. | Accessed: 2026-06-29August 2024 National Aerospace Park tour for journalists (10).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and license for a fourth clear-license representative Paveh-family missile image. | Accessed: 2026-06-29