Three ballistic missiles struck a security forces training facility in Shabwa province on Monday, leaving dozens dead and scores wounded.
A Houthi ballistic missile strike hit a security forces training camp in Yemen’s central province of Shabwa on Monday, killing dozens of recruits and leaving scores wounded during an exercise, officials said.
A spokesperson for the Saudi-backed Yemeni armed forces said the Iran-backed group launched three ballistic missiles at al-Alam camp near the city of Ataq, BBC News reported. The missiles struck the Martyr Ahmed al-Sulaimani Training Centre inside the base, where personnel from several provinces were undergoing training to join local police and internal security units.
Dispute over casualties at al-Alam camp
Reports differed on the exact toll from the strike. Shabwa province’s media office announced in a statement that 53 people were killed and more than 200 injured, according to a preliminary assessment. However, government officials and medical sources said at least 18 people died and more than 30 were wounded, Al Jazeera reported. Shabwa’s deputy governor, Fahad al-Khalifi, separately cited at least 40 total casualties without detailing how many were dead or injured.
Al-Khalifi told AFP that hospitals across Shabwa were overwhelmed by the influx of wounded recruits. Medical teams transferred patients in critical condition to hospitals in neighbouring Hadramout and to Aden, the seat of the internationally recognized government. Video circulating on social media showed bodies scattered across the training grounds.
Reactions to the attack
Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, promised a firm response to the strike. “Targeting recruits reflects the Houthi militia’s approach of resorting to terrorist attacks when under pressure,” al-Alimi said.
Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani called the strike a war crime, arguing that an internal security facility did not constitute a military target. Al-Eryani accused the Houthis of “attempting to fabricate a false media victory, boost the morale of its collapsing elements, and cover up the defeats and setbacks it is suffering across various combat axes”.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea claimed responsibility, stating the missiles hit a gathering of Saudi enemy forces at al-Alam camp. Sarea asserted the base was operated by Saudi officers and said any location hosting a Saudi-backed military presence remains a target. Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the strike.
Escalating clashes across the country
Monday’s attack followed months of heightened fighting across Yemen. Pro-government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition began an offensive in early October called the Dawn of Yemen operation, aiming to recover territory held by the Houthis, including the capital, Sanaa. That push followed a surprise Houthi assault in September that captured ground along the Red Sea coast near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Government forces later took back positions along the coastal strait with Saudi air support.
Heavy fighting continues near the strait, around the besieged government-held city of Taiz, and in the northern provinces of Marib and al-Jawf. South of Taiz, where residents face fuel shortages and climbing prices, government forces said they hit Houthi gatherings, vehicles and weapons in al-Aqroudh, al-Shaqab and al-Sarari.
The Houthis have retaliated against Saudi airstrikes by targeting energy facilities and airports across Saudi Arabia, where Houthi strikes kill 19 people at airports since the start of October. On Sunday, Houthi-run media reported that a Saudi airstrike hit a house in Saada province’s Sahar district, killing at least 10 people and injuring 23, mostly women and children. The Houthi-run health ministry reported 141 deaths from Saudi strikes over seven weeks, while the government’s health ministry reported last week that 1,282 people died across Yemen between August 6 and mid-October.
