Houthi missiles kill dozens of recruits at Yemen training camp
Houthi rebels fired three ballistic missiles at a government training camp in Yemen's Shabwa province on Monday, AP and Reuters reported. At least 53 people were killed and about 200 were hurt, local officials said. Times Now put the toll at 58, calling it the deadliest single attack since fighting resumed.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck a training camp for Yemeni government forces in the southern province of Shabwa on Monday, killing at least 53 people and wounding 200 recruits, the Shabwa provincial government said, according to AP and Reuters. Times Now reported that at least 58 people were killed and more than 200 were injured, calling it the deadliest single incident since Yemen's civil war reignited in September.
Three ballistic missiles hit the al-Alam camp in the Jardan district north of the provincial capital, Ataq, while recruits were lined up in formation for training, AP reported, citing a military official. Reuters reported that video it verified showed injured people and bloodied bodies across the ground. The provincial government said the toll was preliminary and could rise, AP reported.
The Houthis acknowledged targeting the camp, AP reported. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on X that the camp was run by Saudi forces, Reuters reported. AP reported that a Houthi spokesman claimed Saudi officers were among those killed but gave no evidence, and that the Saudi government did not immediately comment.
Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's ruling Presidential Leadership Council, promised a "firm response," AP reported. The injured were taken to hospitals in Ataq, where officials appealed for blood donations, and the government said an inquiry would examine why so many troops had been left exposed, Times Now reported.
The attack came amid a surge in fighting that shattered a 2022 ceasefire, AP reported. Reuters reported that the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government have traded attacks since the group advanced in September toward territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Houthis have also escalated attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting Riyadh's international airport and the state oil company Saudi Aramco, Reuters reported. On Sunday, the Houthi-run Health Ministry blamed Saudi-led forces for an airstrike that killed at least nine people in Saada province, AP reported.
What we know: Houthi missiles hit the al-Alam camp in Shabwa on Monday, killing at least 53 people, and the Houthis said they targeted it.
What we don't: The final death toll, and whether any Saudi officers were among the dead as the Houthis claim.
Where outlets agree AP, Reuters and Times Now report that Houthi ballistic missiles hit the al-Alam training camp in Shabwa on Monday, killing dozens of recruits.
Where they differ AP and Reuters put the death toll at 53, citing the provincial authority, while Times Now reported at least 58 dead.