Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has disclosed that users operating in northern Yemen, territory controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, attempted to weaponize its Claude AI platform to develop sophisticated missile systems.
The company released a report Thursday identifying a cluster of accounts based in Houthi-held territory that were pursuing at least three separate weapons programs. Among them were a hypersonic glide missile and a warhead designed to use mobile phone hardware for mid-course maneuvering.
Anthropic said the accounts were blocked after being identified and that the users failed to successfully field any operational weapon. However, the company confirmed the group did conduct a failed test of a guided rocket, a conclusion drawn from the fact that the users returned to Claude afterward to troubleshoot what went wrong.
According to the report, the Yemen-based actors used Claude Code as a substitute for human software engineers to develop guidance, navigation and control systems. Anthropic also found evidence that before the accounts were banned, the group had already built an offline simulation toolkit that operated independently of Claude or any other AI platform.
Weapons analyst Trevor Ball of Armament Research Services said while the Houthis may be exploring hypersonic technology through AI queries, they currently lack the production and technical infrastructure to actually manufacture such weapons. He noted that even U.S. hypersonic missiles remain in testing phases.
Ball suggested the effort may be more about reducing dependence on Iranian weapons shipments than achieving a major military breakthrough. The Houthis already possess Iranian-made anti-ship missiles capable of adjusting guidance mid-flight.
A member of the Houthis’ political bureau, Hazam al-Assad, denied that the group would rely on open-source tools to develop military capabilities, stating their armed forces already possess advanced and self-sufficient production capabilities.
The Houthis have escalated their military campaign in recent weeks, seizing strategic territory along the Red Sea coast and near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. They have also continued attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and commercial shipping, threatening key global trade routes.
Researchers warn that the Houthis are far more technologically sophisticated than their image as a guerrilla force might suggest. Yemen analyst Adam Baron of the New America think tank said the group has demonstrated growing institutional tech savvy across military and information domains.
Anthropic said its Thursday report covers a period from December through August and is the third such misuse report it has published since March 2025. The company said it shared its findings with both private and government partners.