Armed group profile · SD Strength Index
Houthis: military strength 2026
How strong are the Houthis in 2026?
No other armed group can strike as far, and the index puts them ahead of M23 and Hezbollah. The Houthis, who call their movement Ansar Allah, control Sanaa and most of north and west Yemen: about 30 per cent of the land and 70 per cent of the people. Since September they have also held most of the Red Sea coast, including Perim island in the Bab al-Mandab strait and the contested port of Mocha.
Command is centralised under Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. The movement lost its prime minister and several ministers to Israeli strikes in August 2025, and its chief of staff the same year, without splitting.
How many fighters do the Houthis have?
A 2024 estimate of up to 350,000 has never been verified, and it compares with about 220,000 two years earlier and about 30,000 in 2015. Most of that total is tribal mobilisation and recruits with short training, and child recruitment has been documented.
The professional part is far smaller. The committed core is put at about 20,000, with no reliable upper limit. It includes the missile, drone and naval branches and veterans of the old Yemeni army's Republican Guard. The much larger general mobilisation figures the Houthis announce are their own claims.
What missiles and drones do the Houthis have?
The longest reaching arsenal of any armed group. Toufan missiles, based on Iran's Ghadr, fly 1,350 to 1,950 km, and the solid fuel Palestine-2 about 2,000 km; Houthi claims that it is hypersonic are propaganda. Burkan-3 and Hatem missiles cover 1,200 to 1,450 km. Ships face Asef, Tankil and Mohit ballistic missiles as well as Sayyad and Al-Mandab cruise missiles.
Estimates put the ballistic stock at several hundred, of which 100 to 200 are long range, and the long range drone fleet at probably fewer than 1,000. Both figures predate the campaign against Saudi Arabia that began in July. Locally assembled Ababil-T attack drones cost about $1,500 each. An explosive boat sank the cargo ship Tutor in 2024, and 16 to 20 American MQ-9 Reaper drones have been reported shot down since 2017. The Houthis have no working aircraft, and only remnants of the old army's T-55, T-62 and T-72 tanks.
What did the Houthis do in the 2026 Iran war?
The movement stayed out for four weeks after US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on 28 February, then fired its first missile at Israel on 28 March. Attacks on Israel stopped after the US and Iran signed a memorandum in the middle of June.
From July the target was Saudi Arabia. The Houthis declared a blockade of shipping tied to Saudi Arabia and hit tankers and the Jazan refinery. In September they took Mocha and Perim, and on 19 September they first struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, about 20 times by late October by the count of the coalition Saudi Arabia leads. Saudi air strikes resumed in July, and on 4 October Yemen's government launched a counteroffensive. It claims to have retaken Mocha, which the Houthis deny.
Who backs the Houthis, and can they be stopped?
Iran, through the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, supplies designs, components and money, and Hezbollah has provided training. Interdictions and Iran's own war have squeezed that supply, but local assembly with Chinese commercial parts covers part of the gap. Attempts to source Chinese parts for a precision missile with a range of about 2,000 km have been reported.
Air power has not stopped them. A US campaign in 2025 hit more than 800 targets, and the US said launch rates fell sharply, yet the Houthis kept firing. The coalition now claims to have destroyed 127 warehouses and launch pads, which is unverified. Their weak point is the ground war, fought largely by levies with little training. Government forces backed by Saudi Arabia went on the offensive in October, and fighting continues around Taiz.
Key figures
| Fighters | 200k–350k | C |
| Full-time trained core | ~20k | C |
| Ballistic missiles | 100–500 | C |
| Longest strike range (km) | 1,800–2,000 | B |
| Drones | ~1,000 | C |
| Aircraft | 0 | C |
A confirmed B strong estimate C estimated range
Main weapons
| Toufan (Ghadr-type) MRBM | — | B |
| Palestine-2 solid-fuel MRBM | — | B |
| Burkan-3 (Qiam-type) and Hatem | — | B |
| Badr-series and other short-range ballistic missiles and rockets | — | C |
| Asef / Tankil / Mohit / Khalij Fars-type anti-ship ballistic missiles | — | B |
| Quds-series (351-type) land-attack cruise missiles | — | B |
| Sayyad / Al-Mandab-1/2 (C-801/C-802/Noor-derived) anti-ship cruise missiles | — | B |
| Samad-3/4 and Yafa long-range one-way attack drones | ~1,000 | C |
| Wa'id (Shahed-136-type) and Qasef-2K drones | — | C |
| Ababil-T FPV and small attack drones | — | C |
| Explosive uncrewed surface vessels (Toufan-type USVs) and fast attack craft | — | B |
| 358 loitering SAM, Saqr, Barq-1/2 (SA-2/SA-6-derived) | — | C |
| Ex-Yemeni army T-55/T-62/T-72 tanks, BMP/BTR, captured MRAPs | — | C |
Assessment
| Firepower | 4/5 | |
| Cohesion and command | 4/5 | |
| Outside support | 3/5 | |
| Combat experience | 5/5 | |
| Professionalism | 3/5 |
Backers. Iran, Hezbollah
Ground. It controls Sanaa and most of northern and western Yemen, about 30% of the territory and 70% of the population. Since September 2026 it also holds most of the Red Sea coast and Perim island in the Bab al-Mandab, with Mocha contested and fighting around Taiz.
Professional or irregular. Command is centralised under Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, with an ideological core of an estimated 20,000 and capable missile, drone and naval units that kept striking through heavy US, Israeli and Saudi attacks. Most of an unverified total of up to 350,000 are briefly trained tribal levies and recruits.
What changed in 2026
Questions readers ask
How many fighters do the Houthis have?
An unverified 2024 estimate puts the total at up to 350,000, most of them tribal levies and recruits with short training. The disciplined core is put at about 20,000.
How far can Houthi missiles reach?
About 2,000 km. The Houthis have hit Israel repeatedly with Palestine-2 and Toufan missiles since 2024, and long range drones have flown even longer routes.
Who supplies the Houthis with weapons?
Iran's Revolutionary Guards supply missile and drone designs and components, and Hezbollah has trained Houthi fighters. The Houthis also assemble weapons locally, increasingly with Chinese commercial parts.
Are the Houthis stronger than Hezbollah?
Yes, in 2026. Hezbollah has more trained regulars, but its rocket arsenal was cut hard in the 2026 war, while the Houthis were still hitting Riyadh in October.
Do the Houthis have an air force?
No. The aircraft left over from Yemen's old air force are not flyable, so their air war is fought with missiles and drones.
Who leads the Houthis?
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi heads the movement and its centralised command. It survived Israeli strikes that killed its prime minister and several ministers in August 2025.