Three ballistic missiles struck a Yemeni government training camp in the southern province of Shabwa on Monday, killing 73 security recruits and wounding more than 200, provincial authorities said — the deadliest single strike since the country’s fighting reignited in September.
The provincial media office raised the toll from Monday’s strike on Tuesday, adding that 14 people remained missing. The earlier count had stood at 53.
Local authorities said the missiles hit the Al-Alam camp — the Martyr Ahmed al-Sulaimani training centre — in the Jardan district, north of the provincial capital Ataq, during a morning training exercise. Video verified by Reuters showed injured people and bloodied bodies scattered across the ground.
New recruits, not front-line fighters
Governor Awad al-Wazir said the dead were new recruits from across Shabwa who were being trained for internal security forces and police — “These recruits have never before participated in any mobilization or on any front,” he said. He urged the deployment of additional air defenses in the province.
Hospitals in Ataq issued urgent appeals for blood donations as the wounded poured in.
Houthis claim a Saudi-run camp
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the camp was run by Saudi forces and claiming Saudi officers were among the dead — an allegation for which he offered no evidence. Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yemeni officials rejected the claim, saying the recruits were training for internal security duties far from the front lines.
Leadership promises a “firm response”
Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, condemned what he called the “criminal attack” and promised a firm response, accusing the Houthis of resorting to terrorist attacks when they come under military pressure.
Officials said al-Alimi also telephoned U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to ask that the Houthis be classified as a foreign terrorist organization, and the government ordered an inquiry into how so many recruits were left exposed to attack.
A widening regional conflict
The Iran-aligned Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government have traded attacks since September, when the group advanced toward territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a shipping chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea. Government forces began a campaign this month to retake Houthi-held areas, recovering ground near the strait.
Shabwa is an energy-rich coastal province overlooking the Gulf of Aden and home to the Balhaf liquefied natural gas facility, Yemen’s largest industrial investment. Aid agencies warn of rapidly deteriorating conditions in what is already one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The strike lands as regional powers move to back Saudi Arabia against the widening Houthi campaign: Britain has deployed RAF Typhoon jets on defensive patrols over the kingdom, and Turkey is seeking parliamentary authorization to send military personnel under a joint defense pact.
Sources: Reuters; JFeed.
