Zelzal-1 rocket in the 2014 Yemen Civil War

Direct proof of use

Zelzal-1 use in the 2014 Yemen Civil War is documented in CSIS Missile Threat's study of the Yemen missile war, which says two Zelzal-1 missiles struck a mosque in Sirwah, Marib Province, on 17 March 2017. Reuters and AFP reporting carried by The Nation tied the Kofal camp mosque attack to Houthi-aligned reporting that identified Zelzal-1 missiles as the main weapon used.

Later open reporting placed Zelzal-1 launches in the cross-border missile campaign against Saudi Arabia. A CSIS Missile Threat update for 17-29 August 2018 recorded a Houthi-launched Zelzal-1 toward Najran that Saudi air defenses reportedly intercepted, and it separately discussed a Reuters-carried Houthi claim of a Zelzal-1 fired toward Jizan.

Sources: The Missile War in Yemen, 22 killed in mosque attack in Yemen's Marib, Yemen Missile War Update: Aug 17-29, Yemen's Houthis say missile fired at Saudi Arabia's Jizan province

Timeline

The clearest public incident date is 17 March 2017, when reporting placed Zelzal-1 missiles in the Kofal camp mosque attack in Sirwah, west of Marib. CSIS later included the strike in its chronology of missile use in Yemen.

In late August 2018, CSIS reported two Zelzal-1-related events around Saudi border provinces: an intercepted missile fired toward Najran and a separate Jizan launch claim. CSIS treated the Jizan report more cautiously, noting the Houthi claim while saying open reporting had not confirmed the strike's damage result.

Sources: The Missile War in Yemen, 22 killed in mosque attack in Yemen's Marib, Yemen Missile War Update: Aug 17-29, Yemen's Houthis say missile fired at Saudi Arabia's Jizan province

Narrative

The documented user was Houthi-aligned forces. In Yemen-war service, the Zelzal-1 appears as a long-range unguided artillery rocket used against fixed sites rather than as a front-line direct-fire weapon. The supported incidents involve a camp mosque in Marib Province and cross-border launches toward Saudi border provinces.

The 2017 Kofal incident is the strongest direct-use case because both the later CSIS study and contemporaneous news-agency reporting identify Zelzal-1 in the attack. The 2018 Najran event is also directly attributed to a Zelzal-1 in CSIS event reporting, while the Jizan event is best treated as a reported Houthi claim repeated by Reuters and summarized by CSIS rather than an independently confirmed impact.

The available public record supports Houthi-aligned use of Zelzal-1 rockets during the wider Yemen missile campaign. It does not provide a reliable total count of Zelzal-1 launches, the exact Houthi launch unit, or independently verified battle-damage results for each claimed cross-border launch.

Sources: The Missile War in Yemen, 22 killed in mosque attack in Yemen's Marib, Yemen Missile War Update: Aug 17-29, Yemen's Houthis say missile fired at Saudi Arabia's Jizan province