Houthi missile strike on Yemen training camp kills at least 60 recruits, officials say
A Houthi ballistic missile strike on the al-Alam training camp in Yemen’s southern Shabwa province killed at least 60 people, mostly new security recruits, Yemeni officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The AP said it was the deadliest strike since fighting in Yemen began escalating three months ago. More than 200 others were wounded.
What happened: Three ballistic missiles hit the camp on Monday while recruits were lining up in formation for a training session, the AP reported. The Shabwa provincial media office said the strike hit a training centre for recruits to the internal security forces, the BBC reported. The camp is in the Jardan district, north of the provincial capital, Ataq, according to the AP.
The toll: Local authorities first put the toll at 53 dead and more than 200 injured, the BBC and The Guardian reported. On Tuesday, three Yemeni officials who spoke on condition of anonymity told the AP the toll had risen to 60 and that at least a dozen people were still missing. Medical sources in Shabwa told the Spanish news agency EFE that 63 people had died and 21 recruits were missing, and said the figure could rise. The counts differ by source and have not been independently confirmed.
What each side said: Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, said those killed were new recruits and promised a “firm response,” the BBC reported. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the missiles targeted “Saudi enemy” forces at a camp he said was run by Saudi officers, according to the BBC. Shabwa governor Awad Ibn al-Wazir said in comments aired by Al Arabiya that the recruits had “no connection to the front lines,” the AP reported.
The wider war: Fighting in Yemen has surged since July, shattering a 2022 ceasefire, and the Houthis have fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia, the AP reported. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile after an attack warning for the Riyadh area, according to the AP.
Sources
- AP via The Washington Post — Death toll rises to 60 in Houthi strike on Yemen training camp in deadliest attack in months
- BBC News — Houthi missile strike on Yemen camp kills 50 security recruits, local authorities say
- The Guardian — Houthi attack kills 53 in biggest single loss of life since Yemen civil war reignited
- EFE via Infobae — Al menos 63 muertos en ataque hutí contra un campo de entrenamiento de reclutas en Yemen