SRINAGAR: Fifty-three people were killed and 200 injured in an attack on a government security forces training camp in Yemen’s Shabwa province on Monday, according to the Associated Press (AP), amid escalating fighting between the Iran-aligned Houthis and government forces.
Local authority sources, speaking to AP on condition of anonymity, said the Houthis had fired three ballistic missiles at security personnel during a training exercise.
Video verified by Reuters from Shabwa showed injured people and bloodied bodies scattered across the ground.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on X that the group had targeted the training camp, which he claimed was operated by Saudi forces. Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The attack comes as Yemen’s internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Houthis intensify their military operations. The two sides have exchanged attacks since the Houthis advanced in September towards territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic shipping route connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Government forces launched a campaign this month to recapture areas held by the Houthis and regained ground near the strait. The Houthis, meanwhile, have continued to besiege Taiz, a major urban stronghold of anti-Houthi forces in Yemen’s southern highlands.
Shabwa, an energy-rich province in south-central coastal Yemen overlooking the Gulf of Aden, is home to the Balhaf liquefied natural gas facility, the country’s largest industrial investment.
The conflict has also become linked to the wider US-Israeli war on Iran, with the Houthis stepping up attacks on Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude oil exporter. The group has targeted Riyadh’s international airport and state oil company Saudi Aramco.
Yemen’s war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, forcing the government south. A Saudi-led military intervention followed in 2015, leading to years of fighting and a prolonged stalemate. A truce agreed in 2022 held until this year.
Yemen remains one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with aid agencies warning of rapidly deteriorating conditions.
