The official story was clear: Saudi forces shot down
a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group last month at
Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. It was a victory for the Saudis and for
the United States, which supplied the Patriot missile defense system.
“Our system knocked the missile out of the air,”
President Trump said the next day from Air Force One en route to Japan,
one of the 14 countries that use the system. “That’s how good we are.
Nobody makes what we make, and now we’re selling it all over the world.”
But an analysis of photos and videos of the strike posted to social media suggests that story may be wrong.
Instead, evidence analyzed by a research team of
missile experts appears to show the missile’s warhead flew unimpeded
over Saudi defenses and nearly hit its target, Riyadh’s airport. The
warhead detonated so close to the domestic terminal that customers
jumped out of their seats.
Estimated trajectory
of warhead
Trajectory of
missile body
The warhead appeared to explode near an airport terminal.
RIYADH
NORTH
This side is
38 miles.
Airport
Missile
defense
The missile body
landed downtown.
Satellite image from DigitalGlobe via Google Earth
Saudi officials did not respond to a request for
comment. Some U.S. officials cast doubt on whether the Saudis hit any
part of the incoming missile, saying there was no evidence that it had.
Instead, they said, the incoming missile body and warhead may have come
apart because of its sheer speed and force.
The findings show that the Iranian-backed
Houthis, once a ragtag group of rebels, have grown powerful enough to
strike major targets in Saudi Arabia, possibly shifting the balance of
their years-long war. And they underscore longstanding doubts about
missile defense technology, a centerpiece of American and allied
national defense strategies, particularly against Iran and North Korea.
“Governments lie about the effectiveness of
these systems. Or they’re misinformed,” said Jeffrey Lewis, an analyst
who led the research team, which shared its findings with The New York
Times. “And that should worry the hell out of us.”
The Missile
Shooting down Scud missiles is difficult, and governments have wrongly claimed success against them in the past.
SYRIA
IRAQ
IRAN
JORDAN
SAUDI ARABIA
EGYPT
Riyadh
OMAN
Missile
610 miles
Red
Sea
SUDAN
YEMEN
ERITREA
Est. launch
location
location
Arabian Sea
The missile, seen in this video released by the
Houthis, is believed to be a Burqan-2, a variant of the Scud missile
used throughout the Middle East. It traveled about 600 miles.
Saudi and American officials have accused Iran
of supplying the Houthis with the missile, a charge that Tehran denies. A
recent United Nations report found evidence that the missile had been
designed and manufactured by Iran, according to a Security Council
diplomat. Reuters first reported the U.N. findings.
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