At least 20 Yemeni fighters killed as Houthis target military camp with ballistics

At least 20 fighters of the Saudi-led coalition were reportedly killed on Monday after the Houthis fired several ballistic missiles on the Yemeni government military training camp in Shabwa province.

The rebels fired at least three ballistic missiles on the al-Alam military camp in the southern province, Reuters reported.

The attack also wounded at least two dozen troops, anonymous Yemeni military officials told the Associated Press.

Footage capturing the aftermath of the strikes pans across a wide stretch of sandy ground where numerous bodies lie scattered, with several body parts, including limbs, blown away and shredded clothes. Debris and what appear to be personal belongings are also visible on the ground.

According to AP, the attack was among the deadliest in a recent escalation of fighting that began months ago amid rising tensions in the wider Iran-US conflict. The renewed clashes between the Houthis and forces of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government have broken a 2022 ceasefire that had largely halted fighting in the country’s civil war.

According to the Houthi health ministry at least nine people, including five children and two women, were killed during a Saudi-led coalition airstrike on rebel-controlled northern province of Saada. The strike was among several attacks over the weekend that killed or injured more than 30 people, the rebels said.

As the fighting continued on Monday, Yemen’s government forces have claimed recapturing Sanamat in Taiz governorate and advanced towards Misrakh following a counteroffensive against Houthi fighters, Al Jazeera reported. One civilian was reported killed and five others wounded in Houthi shelling.

Houthi forces have been attempting to encircle Taiz city, a government stronghold where the UN has warned that food supplies are running low. The local government has also accused the Houthis of blocking water tank deliveries into the city.