Iranian backed Houthi rebels fired ballistic missiles at a military camp for government forces in southern Yemen on Monday, killing at least 20 soldiers and wounding at least two dozen, Yemeni military officials said.
It was one of the deadliest attacks in a recent surge of fighting. Most of the casualties were new recruits, one official said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
What We Know So Far
The rebels hit the al-Alam camp in Shabwa province, in the Jardan district north of the provincial capital, Ataq. The site was previously used by a militia backed by the United Arab Emirates. It sits on a route to the government held province of Marib and on supply lines crucial to government forces.
Col. Majed al-Nazili, spokesman for Yemen’s military, confirmed that the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at a training center for police and security forces. He would not comment on casualties.
One of the officials said the targeted troops belonged to a new force called Rapid Intervention, tasked with defending the area. Reuters, citing four government and medical sources, said the missiles struck during a training exercise.
What Authorities Are Saying
The Houthi run SABA news agency claimed the attack killed and wounded dozens but gave no other details.
The government has not issued a casualty figure. Saudi Arabia has not commented on weekend airstrikes in rebel held areas.
Differing Accounts
The sources differ on the death toll. The AP, citing military officials, said at least 20 soldiers were killed. Reuters, citing four government and medical sources, said at least 18. SABA claimed dozens dead and wounded.
The wider war is framed differently as well. The AP described the fighting as part of the wider Iran and U.S. conflict, while Reuters called Yemen another front line in the wider U.S. and Israeli war on Iran.
Why This Matters
The strike came as fighting in Yemen intensifies on several fronts. A Houthi spokesman said Saudi jets carried out 110 airstrikes and missile attacks over the past 24 hours, according to Al Jazeera. On Sunday, an airstrike blamed on Saudi led forces killed at least nine people, including five children and two women, in the rebel held northern province of Saada, the Houthi run Health Ministry said. The Houthis said it was one of several strikes that killed or wounded more than 30 people over the weekend.
The Houthis have resumed attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. They have increasingly targeted Saudi airports, oil sites and military facilities, disrupting thousands of flights and killing 19 people. The headquarters of Saudi oil giant Aramco was also hit.
The rebels 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. The Saudi led coalition began a major offensive this month to retake the area, and government forces say they have recovered ground near the strait. The Houthis, meanwhile, are besieging Taiz, the last major urban stronghold of anti Houthi forces in the southern highlands. Government forces said they struck Houthi gatherings, vehicles and weapons in al-Aqroudh, al-Shaqab and al-Sarari, south of Taiz.
The escalation shattered a 2022 truce that had largely halted fighting in Yemen’s civil war. War broke out in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and a Saudi led military intervention followed the next year. Aid agencies warn that conditions in Yemen, already one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, are rapidly deteriorating.
What Happens Next
Officials have not given a final toll for the Shabwa camp or said how they will respond. The coalition’s offensive near the Red Sea coast and the siege of Taiz are continuing.
Sources: the Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
