Over 53 Killed, 70 Injured In Houthi Missile Attack On Yemen Military Camp Amid Renewed Fighting

A Houthi missile attack on a military training camp in Yemen's oil-rich Shabwa province killed at least 53 people and injured around 200 on Monday (October 19), according to local authorities, as renewed fighting between the Iran-backed rebels and government forces threatens to deepen the country's conflict.

Three ballistic missiles struck the al-Alam military camp, which is used by forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognised government, during a training exercise. The Shabwa provincial government said the victims included newly recruited personnel undergoing training for internal security duties. The death toll remains preliminary and could rise.

The Houthis acknowledged targeting the camp. Shabwa authorities described the strike as a serious escalation and called for additional air defence and early-warning systems. Hospitals in the province were reportedly overwhelmed, with seriously injured victims being transferred to medical facilities in neighbouring Hadramout and Aden.

Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, pledged a firm response to the attack, accusing the Houthis of resorting to violence when facing pressure. The strike is among the deadliest incidents in the latest surge in hostilities.

The attack comes as government forces seek to recapture territory seized by the Houthis, particularly areas near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategically important shipping passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The rebels have recently advanced along parts of Yemen's Red Sea coast, prompting a counteroffensive by forces backed by Saudi Arabia.

A military source earlier told AFP that government forces feared the missile strike could precede a ground offensive similar to the Houthis' earlier seizure of Mocha, a strategic port city near the strait. The Houthis also reportedly cut a road linking government-held Shabwa with neighbouring Al-Bayda province, which they control, restricting civilian movement.

The renewed fighting follows the collapse of a 2022 truce that had largely reduced hostilities in Yemen's civil war. The conflict began escalating after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led military intervention the following year.