Iranian-backed Houthi rebels launched a deadly missile strike against a government military camp in southern Yemen, resulting in the deaths of at least 20 soldiers according to local military officials. The assault on the al-Alam military camp in Shabwa province also left roughly two dozen troops wounded, with the majority of the casualties consisting of newly enlisted recruits.
Yemeni military sources, speaking anonymously due to a lack of authorization to brief reporters, noted that the facility is situated in the Jardan district north of Ataq. The location serves as a vital transit route connecting to government-controlled Marib and acts as a crucial logistics corridor for state forces. The targeted personnel belonged to a recently formed security unit designated as the Rapid Intervention force.
Col. Majed al-Nazili, a military spokesman, confirmed that three ballistic missiles were directed at a police and security training facility, though he declined to specify casualty figures. Meanwhile, the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency acknowledged the operation and reported numerous casualties without providing detailed statistics.
This escalation forms part of a broader intensification in hostilities that has eroded a 2022 truce, which previously suppressed large-scale combat in the country's civil war. The renewed violence coincides with heightened tensions linked to broader regional conflicts involving Iran and the United States.
In a separate incident, an airstrike attributed to the Saudi-led coalition struck the northern province of Saada, resulting in the deaths of at least nine individuals, including five children and two women, according to the Houthi administration's health department. That event was one of multiple weekend strikes that reportedly injured over thirty people.
The Houthi movement has ramped up cross-border operations against Saudi infrastructure, targeting airports, energy facilities, and military installations in response to Riyadh's backing of Yemen's internationally recognized government. These actions have disrupted international flight routes and struck key targets such as the headquarters of Saudi oil conglomerate Aramco.
Furthermore, the rebels have expanded their territorial control along the Red Sea coast near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. In response to these territorial gains, the Saudi-led coalition initiated a major offensive earlier this month aimed at dislodging insurgent forces from those critical positions.