BEIRUT (AP) — Anthropic says Claude users in northern Yemen, territory controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, tried to use the AI model to develop advanced missiles.
AI is already transforming warfare from Ukraine to Gaza, and its use on a rugged and remote battlefield is likely to increase concerns about its rapid spread.
Anthropic said the users of the accounts, which it blocked after identifying them, did not succeed in “fielding an operational device” but did carry out a failed test of a guided rocket. It said it knows that because the users returned to its Claude chatbot to find out why it failed.
In a report released Thursday, the company did not identify the users. But mountainous northern Yemen is controlled by Houthis, suggesting that the rebels are pursuing more sophisticated weapons at a time when they are already wielding an array of drones, missiles and other munitions in their campaign to seize more territory in Yemen and damage Saudi Arabia’s oil exports.
Hazam al-Assad, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, said it is “unreasonable and illogical” that they would rely on open sources to develop and produce military capabilities.
“Our armed forces have modern, diverse and developed production capabilities and technology that it has accumulated over the period of Saudi aggression on Yemen,” al-Assad said, referring to the kingdom's involvement in Yemen's 12-year civil war. He said all weapons are used for self-defense.
The report was the third put out by Anthropic since March 2025 on global misuse of its AI platforms, and it described findings from December to August, ranging from state-sponsored groups spreading propaganda to unnamed actors researching how to make biological weapons more deadly.
The developer of the prominent Claude chatbot said it identified a cell in northern Yemen pursuing three different weapons programs, including a multi-variant missile that glides at hypersonic speed and a warhead that uses mobile phone hardware to maneuver mid-course.
It said the actors in Yemen used Claude Code instead of human software engineers to develop guidance, navigation and control software. Multi-variant missiles are ones in which different warheads and guidance systems can be fit on the same base design, a more economical way to build land, sea and air weapons.
Anthropic said it had evidence that before the accounts were banned, the users had already built an offline simulation tool kit that doesn’t use Claude or any other computing platforms.
Trevor Ball, a weapons analyst at Armament Research Services, said that while the Houthis “might be looking into hypersonic (missiles) by asking Claude,” they have nowhere near the production or technical capabilities to actually build them. He noted that U.S. hypersonic missiles “are still in testing.”
He said the Houthis already have Iranian-made anti-ship missiles with systems that allow the missiles to adjust guidance mid-course.
“They are probably just trying to develop their own capabilities more, so they are less reliant on Iranian shipments of weapons and components,” he said in a text message.
Iran has boasted it has hypersonic missiles and claimed it had fired them at Israel last year. It denies arming the Houthis, which would be in violation of a U.N. embargo, but Iranian weapons have been found on the battlefield and seized from shipments bound for Yemen.
The Houthis have launched waves of attacks on Saudi oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea, threatening global trade as Iran continues to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The rebels have made lightning territorial gains since Wednesday in their war with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government, seizing strategic territories along the Red Sea coast and in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a key alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.
Adam Baron, a Yemen-focused researcher at the New America think tank in Washington, said the Houthis have kept up with technological development.
“There’s a tendency to see the Houthis as this group of barefoot tribal fighters, and that’s just not true,” he said. “Whether it’s things like their emergent use of Claude, their use and manipulation of social media narratives or their ability to capitalize on the transfer of Iranian and wider axis expertise, we’re talking about an incredible — and deepening — amount of institutional tech savvy.”
The Houthis are known to have acquired and developed a sophisticated arsenal of weapons, including Iranian-made cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of more than 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) and unmanned submarines used in attacks.
Anthropic said it shared its findings with private and public partners.
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Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.
Yemen's Houthi rebels march during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo)
DEN BOSCH, Netherlands (AP) — The opening day of the Solheim Cup started with smoke blowers and party music blasting out of a boisterous first tee. It ended in nervy silence on No. 18 as veteran European player Carlota Ciganda stood over a 12-foot putt to tie the match against the Americans.
Not for the first time at the biggest team event in women's golf, she delivered.
Ciganda pulled off an unlikely par after world No. 1 Nelly Korda and Lauren Coughlin left birdie putts short to gain a half-point with rookie Julia Lopez Ramirez and leave the teams tied at 4-4 after a Day 1 that had a little bit of everything at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands on Friday.
Including a slice of history.
For the first time in the 36-year history of the Solheim Cup, Europe and the United States split each of the first two sessions. For two teams that have long looked so evenly matched, maybe it was no surprise.
It was a tough end to the day for Korda, who had a 4-and-3 win with Allisen Corpuz over European stars Lottie Woad and Charley Hull in the morning foursomes that earned the U.S. pairing a fifth straight victory together — an unprecedented feat at the Solheim Cup. Then, Korda didn't win a hole with Coughlin in the four-balls.
There were some other memorable performances on a day of changing weather, not least from European rookies Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud, who won 2 and 1 against Corpuz and Auston Kim in the afternoon four-balls.
Then there was Megan Khang, the bubbly American who — with a 5-and-3 win alongside Alison Lee in the four-balls — extended her unbeaten run in the Solheim Cup to nine matches, which is tied for the second-longest undefeated streak in the event. They won five of the last six holes, and six of the last nine from 2 down against Celine Boutier and Nanna Koerstz Madsen.
The day ultimately belonged to the 36-year-old Ciganda, who was never in the right spot down No. 18 — in fact, she was never in the fairway — but ended up getting up-and-down against the odds. It's another chapter of the Spaniard's Solheim Cup story that peaked in 2023 when her late back-to-back birdies secured a singles win over Korda and retained the crystal trophy in a 14-14 tie.
“I love this week,” she said on a post-round interview on the 18th green. “I just love playing for the team, for my teammates.”
Still, it was a solid start for the Americans in their bid to reach either 14 points to regain the Solheim Cup, or more to win on the road for the first time since 2015.
“I expected them to throw the kitchen sink at us right from the bat,” U.S. captain Angela Stanford said, “and I think we held up well."
Woad and Hull, two Englishwomen in the top 10 of the world ranking, were put together by captain Anna Nordqvist for the first match in both the morning and afternoon sessions.
Europe's power pairing failed to spark.
Dominated by Korda and Corpuz in a foursomes, they then wasted a 3-up lead after 11 holes to only tie their match against Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin in the foursomes.
Noh played the key role for the Americans, either winning or halving nine of the last 10 holes. She propped up Yin, who only recently returned after more than two months out with severe stomach issues.
Yin, who was left out of the morning session, was in tears and seen being consoled after the four-balls.
“She’s been through a lot lately," said Stanford, who described Yin's reaction as an “unloading of emotion."
The first tee is always the place to be in these big teams events and it lived up to its billing early Friday as players teed off inside the horseshoe-shaped grandstand containing around 3,000 spectators.
Stanford danced onto the tee after emerging from the tunnel before the matches began soon after dawn. Maja Stark and Linn Grant, a Swedish pairing who beat Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho 3 and 2 in foursomes, swayed their hips to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.” Lindy Duncan, a 35-year-old rookie who never expected to play a Solheim Cup, took video with her cell phone. Leona Maguire teed off after chants of “We’ve got Maguire, USA is terrified!” and cheers for each of her practice swings.
“They’re living the dream,” Europe captain Anna Nordqvist said of the players, “and as a golfer it doesn’t get better than this.”
It was all very jovial, though, with respectful silence for each drive in front of a banner that read: “Dutch Courage. European Glory.”
See AP’s full golf coverage here
Megan Khang of the United States reacts after sinking a putt on the 12th green during the Solheim Cup in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Carlota Ciganda of Europe reacts after holing a putt on the 18th green during the Solheim Cup in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Carlota Ciganda, right, and Julia López Ramírez of Europe react after holing a putt on the 18th green during the Solheim Cup in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
U.S. fans Kerry Reilly, left, and Jane Savery watch play during the Solheim Cup at the Bernardus Golf course in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Leona Maguire, left, of Europe and teammate Esther Henseleit celebrate after winning the 11th hole during the Solheim Cup at the Bernardus Golf course in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Allisen Corpuz, left, of the United States hands the ball to teammate Nelly Korda during the Solheim Cup at the Bernardus Golf course in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Charley Hull of Europe plays from rough on the third hole during the Solheim Cup at the Bernardus Golf course in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Charley Hull of Europe plays. Shot into the first green during the Solheim Cup at the Bernardus Golf course in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Spectators react ahead of play at the Solheim Cup at the Bernardus Golf course in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Spectators react ahead of play at the Solheim Cup at the Bernardus Golf course in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Nelly Korda, right, of the United States stakes a selfie on the first tee as teammate Allisen Corpuz watches during the Solheim Cup at the Bernardus Golf course in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
