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At least 58 people have been killed and more than 200 injured in a missile attack on a government security forces training camp in Yemen’s southern Shabwa province, while 14 others remain missing.
The attack hit Al-Alam camp on Monday (October 19), provincial governor Awad al-Wazir said.
Video verified by Reuters showed wounded people lying on the ground alongside bloodied bodies at the camp. Citing local officials, Reuters reported that three ballistic missiles struck the facility while military training was under way.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack. In a post on X, Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said his forces had targeted the camp, claiming it was operated by Saudi forces. There was no immediate comment from the Saudi government or military.
Fighting between Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Houthis has intensified in recent months. The government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, has been conducting operations to recapture areas controlled by the rebels.
Shabwa is strategically important because of its location on the Gulf of Aden and its energy resources. The province is home to the Balhaf liquefied natural gas facility, one of Yemen’s major industrial investments, raising concerns that escalating violence could threaten the country’s energy infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the Houthis continue to besiege the southern city of Taiz and target key Saudi facilities and infrastructure. The conflict has also become entangled with wider regional tensions involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
Yemen’s civil war escalated in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year in support of the internationally recognised government.
A truce brokered in 2022 eased the fighting, but hostilities have since persisted. The prolonged conflict has devastated Yemen’s economy and health services, while aid agencies continue to warn of severe food shortages and a worsening humanitarian crisis.
