Yemen Houthi attack death toll rises to 73, over 200 injured

The death toll from a Houthi missile attack on a government security forces training camp in Yemen’s Shabwa province has climbed to 73 according to the provincial media office.

The death toll from a Houthi missile attack on a government security forces training camp in Yemen’s Shabwa province has climbed to 73 according to the provincial media office. More than 200 people have been injured while 14 others remain missing.

The attack took place on Monday when three ballistic missiles struck security personnel during a training session, local authorities said. The rising casualty count comes as fighting between Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement and forces loyal to the internationally recognised government intensifies.

Shabwa Governor Awad al-Wazir confirmed that more than 200 people were wounded in the strike. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the targeted camp was operated by Saudi forces, although Saudi authorities had not immediately commented on the claim.

The latest violence follows renewed clashes since September when Houthi forces advanced towards territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait a strategically important shipping route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Yemen’s government forces have also launched an offensive this month to recover areas controlled by the Houthis making gains near the strait.

The Houthis continue to besiege Taiz, a major urban centre held by opponents of the movement in Yemen’s southern highlands. The conflict has increasingly become connected to the wider US-Israeli war involving Iran with Houthi attacks reportedly targeting Riyadh’s international airport and Saudi Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia.

Shabwa is particularly significant because of its energy resources and coastal position along the Gulf of Aden. The province hosts the Balhaf liquefied natural gas facility, one of Yemen’s largest industrial investments.

Yemen’s conflict began in 2014 when Houthi forces seized the capital Sanaa forcing the internationally recognised government south. A Saudi-led military intervention followed in 2015 but years of fighting produced a prolonged stalemate. A truce reached in 2022 largely held until renewed hostilities this year.

The growing death toll has added to concerns over Yemen’s worsening humanitarian emergency. Aid organisations have warned that conditions are deteriorating in a country already facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.