Houthi ballistic missiles strike Yemeni army camp in Shabwa; at least 18 killed, sources say

Houthi rebels fired ballistic missiles at the al-Alam military camp in Shabwa province in southern Yemen on Monday, striking soldiers during morning training in one of the deadliest attacks of the recent surge in fighting, according to Reuters and the Associated Press.

Reuters, citing four government and medical sources, reported that at least 18 people were killed. Government sources said three ballistic missiles were used in the strike on the camp.

The Associated Press, citing two Yemeni military officials speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to brief the media, reported at least 20 soldiers killed and at least two dozen troops wounded.

The attack comes as the 2022 ceasefire that largely stopped Yemen’s civil war has been shattered, with fighting escalating in recent days. The Houthis have also targeted sites in government-held areas, including Aden airport and the Maashiq presidential palace in Aden — the palace attack killed five security personnel, according to The National.

Meanwhile the Houthi-run Health Ministry said a Sunday airstrike blamed on Saudi-led forces killed at least nine people, including five children and two women, in the rebel-held northern province of Saada. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia, the AP reported.

Yemen’s war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa; a Saudi-led intervention followed in 2015, and the 2022 truce held until this year.

Sources: Reuters, ETV Bharat, Dawn, The National