Houthi Strike Kills 73 at Yemen Training Camp

A Houthi missile attack on a government security forces training camp in Yemen’s Shabwa province killed 73 people, according to the provincial media office, which raised the toll from the Oct 19 strike. Fourteen people remained missing and more than 200 were injured, provincial governor Awad al-Wazir said. Local authorities reported that three ballistic missiles struck the camp during training; video verified by Reuters showed injured people and bodies at the scene. The attack comes amid intensifying fighting between the Iran-aligned Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition. The sides have traded attacks since September, after Houthi forces advanced towards territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major shipping chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea. Government forces began a campaign in October to retake Houthi-held areas and recovered ground near the strait. The Houthis are also besieging Taiz, described as the last major urban stronghold of anti-Houthi forces in Yemen’s southern highlands. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the camp was run by Saudi forces. Saudi authorities had not immediately responded to a request for comment. The article places the fighting within a wider US-Israeli war on Iran, noting Houthi attacks on Riyadh’s international airport and Saudi Aramco. It also highlights Shabwa’s strategic importance: the energy-rich coastal province overlooks the Gulf of Aden and contains the Balhaf liquefied natural gas facility, Yemen’s largest industrial investment. Yemen’s conflict began after the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, prompting the government to move south. A Saudi-led intervention in 2015 led to a bloody stalemate, followed by a truce in 2022 that held until 2026. Aid agencies warn that conditions are rapidly deteriorating in a country already facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

An attack claimed by Yemen’s Houthi movement killed 58 people and injured more than 200 at the Al-Alam government security forces training camp in Shabwa province on Monday, according to Governor Awad al-Wazir. Fourteen people were still missing, he said. Reuters-verified video showed injured people and bodies at the scene. Local authority sources, speaking anonymously, said the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles during a training exercise. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree confirmed the camp was targeted, describing it as operated by Saudi forces; Saudi authorities had not immediately commented. The attack comes as fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government intensifies. The group advanced in September toward territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping chokepoint at the entrance to the Red Sea. Government forces have this month launched a campaign to regain Houthi-held territory near the strait, while the Houthis are besieging Taiz, a major anti-Houthi stronghold in Yemen’s southern highlands. Shabwa, on Yemen’s south-central coast overlooking the Gulf of Aden, is also strategically and economically important: it contains the Balhaf liquefied natural gas facility, the country’s largest industrial investment. The article places the renewed fighting within a wider regional conflict, describing Yemen as another front in the US-Israeli war on Iran. It says the Houthis have escalated attacks on Saudi Arabia, including targeting Riyadh’s international airport and Saudi Aramco. Yemen’s war began in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, prompting the government to move south. A Saudi-led intervention followed in 2015, and the conflict reached a bloody stalemate before a truce agreed in 2022. That truce held until this year. The renewed violence threatens a country already facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with aid agencies warning that conditions are rapidly deteriorating.

A Houthi missile strike on the al-Alam military training camp in Yemen’s Shabwa province killed 73 new recruits and wounded more than 200, according to provincial governor Awad Ibn al-Wazir. The victims were aged 18 to 20, and some recruits remained missing the day after the attack. The governor said they were being trained to provide security in Shabwa, not to fight at the front. The Houthis claimed responsibility, while the provincial government said three ballistic missiles struck the camp as recruits were assembling for training. A government official said some wounded recruits were in life-threatening condition and that at least 15 of those killed belonged to one tribe. The attack is described as the deadliest since fighting escalated in July, when government and Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on Houthi-held Sanaa International Airport broke a ceasefire that had largely halted fighting since 2022. The camp is in a strategically important area near a supply route to government-controlled Marib; Shabwa, Marib and neighbouring Hadramawt contain much of Yemen’s oil and gas production. The article also reports continuing Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities said they intercepted missiles, including one aimed toward Riyadh, and the capital’s airport had faced repeated disruptions. The United Kingdom announced expanded defensive military support for Saudi Arabia, including Royal Air Force air patrols, a transport plane and military advisers. British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the aircraft would not strike Houthi targets and emphasized that there is no long-term military solution, backing a UN-led political process. The article places the latest violence in the context of Yemen’s civil war, which began in 2014 and has caused more than 150,000 deaths and a severe humanitarian crisis.