The death toll from a missile attack by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on a Yemeni government training camp in Shabwa province has risen to 73 as the local authorities confirmed.
At least three ballistic missiles struck security forces during a training exercise on Monday. Shabwa Governor Awad al-Wazir reported that over 200 people were injured while 14 individuals remain missing. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed the camp was operated by Saudi forces though Saudi authorities have not issued an immediate comment.
The strike marks a sharp escalation in fighting as Yemen's government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, launched an offensive this month to reclaim territory near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait—a key international shipping chokepoint. In response, Houthi forces continue to besiege Taiz, the anti-Houthi coalition’s main stronghold in the southern highlands.
Shabwa is an energy-rich coastal province hosting the Balhaf liquefied natural gas facility, Yemen's largest industrial investment. The renewed violence threatens regional shipping lanes and risks aggravating one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention in 2015. A relative calm established under a 2022 truce has unraveled in recent months as regional hostilities intensify.
