At least 58 people have been killed and more than 200 injured after Iran-aligned Houthi forces attacked a government security forces training camp in Yemen’s Shabwa province on Monday, according to the province’s governor.
Governor Awad al-Wazir said another 14 people remained missing following the bombardment of Al-Alam camp, as fighting intensifies in the war-torn country.
Video verified by Reuters from Shabwa showed injured people and bloodied bodies scattered across the ground following the attack.
Local authority sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Houthis had fired three ballistic missiles at security forces during a training exercise.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree confirmed the group had targeted the camp, claiming it was operated by Saudi forces. Saudi authorities had not immediately responded to a request for comment.
The attack comes amid escalating clashes between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.
The two sides have exchanged attacks since the Houthis advanced in September towards territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategically important shipping chokepoint at the entrance to the Red Sea.
Shabwa, an energy-rich province in south-central coastal Yemen overlooking the Gulf of Aden, is also home to the Balhaf liquefied natural gas facility, the country’s largest industrial investment.
Earlier this month, government forces launched a military campaign to recapture territory controlled by the Houthis, making gains near the strategic strait. Meanwhile, the Houthis have laid siege to Taiz, the last major urban stronghold of anti-Houthi forces in Yemen’s southern highlands.
The conflict has also become another front in the wider US-Israeli war against Iran. The Houthis have escalated attacks against Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude oil exporter, targeting Riyadh’s international airport and state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco.
Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognised government south. A Saudi-led military intervention followed in 2015, leading to years of bloody fighting and a prolonged stalemate.
The opposing sides agreed to a truce in 2022, which held until renewed fighting erupted this year.
Yemen remains one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with aid agencies warning that conditions are deteriorating rapidly as violence intensifies.
