Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels Claims they "successfully tested a hypersonic missile. The claim was made by Houthis to Russian media on Thursday (Mar 14) amid escalating tensions in West Asia and ongoing attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways. 

Citing a source, Sputnik 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. 

The reports have mentioned that the Iran-backed rebel group is planning to begin manufacturing the missiles for use against targets in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as Israel. 

The reports did not provide evidence for the claims. 

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. 

This comes amid reports that Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman, the first in months amid their tensions over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme and attacks by its proxies. 

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen into the Gulf of Aden, but it caused no damage to any vessels. 

"The missile did not impact any vessels and there were no injuries or damage reported," CENTCOM added in a statement early on Thursday. 

"United States Central Command then successfully engaged and destroyed four unmanned aerial systems (UAVs) and one surface-to-air missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen," it said, adding "it was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region."