Houthi missile strike on Yemeni army camp in Shabwa kills more than 53

More than 53 recruits were killed and over 200 wounded when Houthi forces fired three ballistic missiles at a military training centre in Yemen’s southern Shabwa governorate on Monday, local authorities said (Al Jazeera, The National).

The missiles struck the al-Alam camp — the Martyr Ahmed Al Sulaymani Training Centre — as new recruits to Shabwa’s internal security forces were undergoing training, the Shabwa local authority said in a statement (The National). Officials initially reported at least 18 killed and more than 30 wounded before the toll rose sharply; the provincial government warned the figure was preliminary and could rise further (Al Jazeera, Saudi Gazette).

Yemeni government military spokesman Majed al-Nuzaili confirmed that three ballistic missiles were launched, writing on X (The National). The Houthis claimed responsibility, saying they targeted “Saudi enemy concentrations at the Al Alam camp” — “a facility in the eastern regions managed by Saudi officers” — and said Saudi officers were among the dozens of casualties (The National).

Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, condemned the attack, vowed a “firm response” and blamed Iranian backing, the official Saba news agency reported (The National, Saudi Gazette).

Shabwa authorities urged the council, the government and the Saudi-led coalition to urgently supply air defence and early-warning systems to strengthen the province’s defences (The National). The attack is one of the deadliest since fighting re-escalated after the 2022 truce collapsed (Al Jazeera).