Houthis Turn to Iran’s ‘Missile Cities’ Playbook to Rebuild Their Image of Strength

  The Houthis are filming displays of missiles, drones and radar systems inside underground tunnels under the supervision of a special unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), sources told Sheba Intelligence.

The footage is intended to boost supporters’ morale and restore the group’s image of military strength, which the sources said had suffered following the release of videos showing government forces launching drones toward Houthi camps.

According to the sources, filming focuses on the size and fortifications of the tunnels and the weapons housed inside, presenting an arsenal protected from attack and capable of sustaining combat operations.

IRGC specialists are overseeing the media effort, the sources said. Beyond reassuring Houthi supporters, the displays are intended to discourage government forces and their allies by casting doubt on the prospects of defeating the group militarily.

It remains unclear when the footage will be released or whether it will feature previously unseen weapons. The reported Iranian involvement could not be independently verified.

Behind the Underground Displays

The preparations resemble an established IRGC practice: opening underground facilities to cameras when its military strength comes under scrutiny, while insisting that much of its arsenal remains out of view.

In January 2025, Iranian state television broadcast footage of an underground missile facility as then-IRGC commander Hossein Salami rejected suggestions that Iran’s missile production capacity had been damaged. Tasnim news agency reported that 90 percent of the facility’s sections had not been shown to journalists, reinforcing the claim that the weapons on display represented only a fraction of the stockpile. 

In July 2020, IRGC Navy commander Alireza Tangsiri similarly announced underground “missile cities” along the Gulf and Gulf of Oman coasts, describing them as a “nightmare” for Iran’s enemies. The announcement paired the disclosure of military infrastructure with an explicit warning to adversaries.

The sources linked the Houthi filming effort directly to the publicity surrounding government drone operations. They said the group wants the underground displays to counter the impression that its camps are increasingly exposed and to reassure supporters that its main weapons stockpiles remain protected.