Houthi missile strike kills at least 53 at Yemen military camp, injures 200
This digitally enhanced screenshot taken from a video posted by the Ansarallah Movement shows Houthi fighters are firing at Saudi-led coalition forces from atop a mountainous feature in Yemen.
New Delhi: At least 53 recruits were killed and around 200 injured when three Houthi ballistic missiles struck a government security training camp in Yemen’s southern Shabwa province on Monday, according to provincial authorities. The attack hit the al-Alam camp during a training session, with officials warning that the casualty figures were preliminary.
The camp, previously used by a militia backed by the United Arab Emirates, is located in Jardan district, north of Shabwa’s provincial capital, Ataq. It sits along a route connecting government-controlled Marib province with important supply lines for government forces. Recruits from the newly established Rapid Intervention force were reportedly assembling for training when the missiles struck.
The Yemeni military spokesman, Colonel Majed al-Nuzaili, wrote on X: “Houthi militia targeted Shabwa with three ballistic missiles.” The Houthis acknowledged targeting the camp, while their Saba news agency reported dozens killed or wounded without confirming the provincial government’s figures. Earlier reports had placed the death toll at 20 or more.
Shabwa seeks stronger air defences
The Shabwa provincial government condemned the attack as an “extremely critical military escalation” and urged Yemen’s leadership and the Saudi-led coalition to provide air-defence and early-warning systems. It directed two public hospitals and private medical facilities to treat the wounded and transfer serious cases for specialized care.
Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, promised a firm response. He accused the Houthis of an “approach of resorting to cowardly terrorist attacks whenever they face pressures or their Iranian backed sabotage plots falter.”
In a statement issued after a telephone conversation with Shabwa’s governor, al-Alimi’s office said he had directed authorities to provide medical assistance to the injured and support bereaved families. He also ordered arrangements to regularize the recruits’ service status and ensure salary payments.
Renewed fighting threatens strategic maritime corridor
The strike comes amid intensified clashes between the Iran-aligned Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition. A truce reached in 2022 largely curbed fighting in the country’s civil war before renewed hostilities this year.
The escalation has also caused civilian casualties in Houthi-controlled areas. An airstrike on Sunday killed at least nine people, including five children and two women, in the northern province of Saada, according to the Houthi-run health ministry, which blamed Saudi-led forces. The rebels said airstrikes over the weekend had killed or wounded more than 30 people, while Saudi Arabia had not immediately commented on the allegations.
The Houthis have recently seized additional territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic shipping chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The Saudi-led coalition launched a military offensive this month to recover those areas, while government forces reported gains near the strait. The waterway is crucial to international maritime trade, although there is no verified indication that Monday’s attack was intended to disrupt commercial shipping.
Shabwa also holds strategic importance because of its energy infrastructure, including the Balhaf liquefied natural gas facility, and supply routes connecting government held areas with neighbouring Marib province. Renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and energy installations have added to regional tensions.
