Iranian-backed Houthi rebels fired ballistic missiles at the al-Alam military camp for government forces in Yemen’s southern province of Shabwa on Monday, killing at least 20 soldiers and wounding at least two dozen more troops, Yemeni military officials said.
The assault was one of the deadliest in a recent surge in fighting, which began months ago as tensions spiked in the wider Iran-US conflict. The escalation between the Houthis and forces of the Saudi-backed government shattered a 2022 ceasefire deal that had largely stopped fighting in Yemen’s civil war, reports Reuters.
The military officials, who are with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media. One of the officials said the casualties were primarily new recruits.
Colonel Majed al-Nazili, a spokesman for Yemen’s military, confirmed that the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at a training centre for police and security forces, but he would not comment on the casualties. The Houthi-run SABA news agency claimed the rebel attack killed and wounded dozens, but did not provide further details.
The camp, which was previously used by a militia backed by the United Arab Emirates, is located in the Jardan district north of the provincial capital, Ataq. It sits on a route to the government-controlled province of Marib and on crucial supply lines for government forces. One of the military officials said those targeted were part of a newly established force called Rapid Intervention, which is tasked with defending the area.
An airstrike on Sunday blamed on Saudi-led forces killed at least nine people, including five children and two women, in Yemen’s rebel-held northern province of Saada, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said. According to the rebels, it was one of several strikes that killed or wounded more than 30 people over the weekend. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis have resumed attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent weeks because the kingdom has supported Yemen’s government in the civil war. The rebels have been increasingly targeting Saudi airports and oil and military facilities, disrupting thousands of flights and killing 19 people. The headquarters of Saudi oil giant Aramco has been struck as well, in a blow to the world’s top oil exporter.
The rebels also recently seized more territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. This month, the Saudi-led coalition launched a major military offensive to dislodge the rebels from that strategic perch and retake the territory.
