New Delhi, India

Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi group claimed on Wednesday (Jun 26) to have used a domestically developed hypersonic missile in an attack on a cargo ship in the Arabian Sea earlier this week, Xinhua reported. This development came amid escalating tensions in West Asia and attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways. 

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The rebel group released a video statement purporting to show the launch of the missile, which is dubbed "Hadim 2". They, however, didn't disclose the exact timing of the attack. The report stated that the long and yellow rocket with Roman numerals on its fins was seen in the video being launched from a mobile platform in an unidentified desert location. 

Houthi claimed in the video that the statement described the Hadim 2 as a solid-fuel hypersonic ballistic missile manufactured by Houthi military facilities. It also added that this marked the first public revelation of the missile. 

Also read: US, Israel clear up 'misunderstandings', make 'real progress' on weapons shipments 

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The news agency Reuters reported that Houthi said on Tuesday (Jun 25) that they used a new ballistic missile to hit the MSC Sarah V vessel in the Arabian Sea, claiming responsibility for an attack reported a day earlier. 

The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Joint Maritime Information Center on Monday (Jun 24) said the Liberian-flagged vessel was targeted by a missile in the Arabian Sea. They said it was not hit. 

Yahya Sarea, the Yemeni group's spokesperson, claimed an "accurate and direct" hit on the ship, describing the vessel as "Israeli". 

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According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the crew were reported safe and that the vessel, which was sailing 246 nautical miles off Yemen's Nishtun when it was targeted, was heading to its next port of call. 

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When did Houthi test a hypersonic missile? 

Earlier this year in March, Houthi successfully tested a hypersonic missile as claimed by the group to Russian media. 

Citing a source, Sputnik had reported, "Missile forces of the movement have successfully tested a missile that can reach speeds of up to Mach 8 [6,200 miles per hour] and is powered by solid fuel." 

"Yemen plans to begin manufacturing it for use in attacks in the Red and Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel," it added. 

Hypersonic weapons fly at speeds higher than Mach 5 and the one claimed to have tested by Houthis is Mach 8 which is eight times the speed of sound. Such missiles could pose crucial challenges to missile defence systems because of their speed and manoeuvrability. 

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving  Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq and non-state actors like Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos. 

(With inputs from agencies)