Houthi strike on Yemen government military camp kills at least 50

Houthi strike on Yemen government military camp kills at least 50

The full report

A Houthi strike on a Yemen government military camp in the south of the country has killed at least 50 Yemeni government forces, according to military officials. The group fired three ballistic missiles at the al-Alam camp in the province of Shabwa.

Some 200 recruits were also wounded, according to the provincial government. The Houthis confirmed that they had targeted the camp. Military sources had originally put the death toll at 30, but this rose to at least 50 later in the day.

The increased death toll makes Monday's attack one of the deadliest in the recent uptick of violence in Yemen. The soldiers who were killed and wounded in the attack had been recruits for a new Rapid Intervention force which is supposed to defend the local area.

The missiles reportedly struck while they were lining up in formation ahead of training. Rashad al-Alimi, head of the ruling Presidential Leadership Council, vowed a "firm response" for the killing of the recruits.

Monday's strikes follow several attacks over the weekend that killed more than 30 people in Houthi-held areas. The Houthis have blamed Saudi-led forces for the attacks.

The fighting in Yemen between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-backed government has been going on for years, but the US-Israeli war on Iran and other factors have sparked renewed fighting in the peninsula.

The Houthis have also carried out major attacks on Saudi Arabian soil. Officials said that the soldiers who were killed and wounded in the attack had been recruits for a new Rapid Intervention force which is supposed to defend the local area.