Cairo: Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck a government military camp in southern Yemen on Monday, killing at least 53 soldiers, provincial authorities in Shabwa said. This incident is one of the deadliest attacks in the recent surge in fighting.
The rebels fired three ballistic missiles on the al-Alam military camp in the southern province of Shabwa in an attack that also wounded 200 recruits, the provincial government said.
The Iran-backed rebels have acknowledged targeting the camp in Shabwa.
Shabwa provincial government said in a statement that the death toll is preliminary, suggesting it may rise. It said the recruits were receiving training to be part of internal security forces.
Shabwa, an energy-rich province in south-central coastal Yemen overlooking the Gulf of Aden, is home to the Balhaf Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility, Yemen's largest industrial investment.
Yemen vows firm resposne
Rashad al-Alimi, head of the ruling Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), promised a “firm response.” He said the attack reflects the Houthis' "approach of resorting to cowardly terrorist attacks whenever they face pressures or their Iranian-backed sabotage plots falter.”
“This bloody, treacherous attack targeted new recruits in the training and preparation phase and is considered an extremely critical military escalation and a blatant aggression on the security and stability of Shabwa province,” the statement said.
It called on Yemen's president, the Saudi-led coalition and the government to expedite providing air defence and early warning systems to reinforce Shabwa's capabilities.
It also added that it instructed two public hospitals and other private health facilities in the province to provide care for the wounded and transfer the seriously hurt to specialised units when necessary.
The Houthi-run SABA news agency claimed the rebel attack killed and wounded dozens but did not provide further details.
One of the military officials said that those targeted were part of a newly established force called Rapid Intervention, which is tasked with defending the area. The missiles struck while recruits were lining up in formation for a training session, the official said.
The camp, which was previously used by a militia backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is located in the Jardan district north of the provincial capital of Ataq. It sits on a route to the government-controlled province of Marib and crucial supply lines for government forces.
Yemen-Houthi tensions
The attack was part of 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 largely stopped fighting in Yemen's civil war.
The Houthis and the internationally recognized government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have been trading attacks since the group advanced in September towards territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a shipping chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea.
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 Saudi-led coalition this month launched a major military offensive to dislodge the rebels from that strategic perch and retake the territory.
(With inputs from AP via PTI & Reuters)
