Yemen Strikes Kill at Least 38 Government Troops in Houthi Missile Attacks

Yemen strikes by Houthi missile and drone attacks on government military camps in Marib and Hadramawt provinces killed at least 38 soldiers and wounded 29 others on Thursday, one of the deadliest days in the civil war in recent years.

Deadly Houthi Strikes Hit Government Camps

The strikes targeted a military camp in al-Ruwaik, Marib province, where one missile hit troops during morning formation, killing or wounding at least 45, plus camps in Al-Abr and Al-Wadiah in Hadramawt near the Saudi border. [1] A military source said the attacks killed at least 58 government troops and injured dozens. [2] Medical sources had earlier spoken of 38 dead. [2] One missile attack hit troops during their morning formation at the camp in Marib, killing and wounding at least 45 personnel. [2] A military official said Thursday’s attacks on troop camps was the worst in Yemen since 2022. [2] The attacks followed strikes on camps in the Al-Abr and Al-Wadiah areas of Hadramawt near the border with Saudi Arabia. [3] Sources confirmed that one of the missile attacks struck troops during the morning formation in the Marib province camp. [3]

Houthi Claim and Accusation Against Saudi Arabia

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the attacks were a response to an alleged large-scale Saudi military buildup preparing for an offensive against Houthi forces. [1] Saree accused the kingdom of a major Saudi military buildup preparing for an offensive. [2] He stated that the armed forces carried out a large-scale and precise military operation against the Saudi enemy forces’ gathering sites. [1] Saree named Al-Ruwaik, al-Thaniyah and al-Abr as among the areas hit and warned that the rebels were prepared to confront any escalation. [2] The Houthi spokesman denounced a major Saudi military reinforcement and said the forces remained ready in case of escalation. [3]

Yemeni Government Vows Retaliation

The defence ministry of Yemen’s internationally recognised government said in a statement that its armed forces would respond to the attacks at the appropriate place and time. [2] The ministry promised that the armed forces would respond to this aggression at the appropriate moment and place. [3] The statement came after the Houthi attacks on the government positions.

Yemen Drawn Into Wider US-Iran Conflict

The attacks follow the Houthis ending a 2022 truce last month, welcoming an Iranian plane in Sanaa, announcing a maritime blockade of Saudi ports, and striking Saudi tankers, drawing Yemen into the wider US-Iran conflict. [1] Yemen became sucked into the Middle East war last month as the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels upended a 2022 truce with the Saudi-backed government. [2] The rebels welcomed an Iranian plane directly in the capital Sanaa, triggering tit-for-tat attacks, and later announced a maritime blockade of Saudi ports and began hitting its tankers. [2] The rebels received an Iranian plane directly in Sanaa, which triggered retaliatory attacks, and then announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia while attacking its tankers. [3] The rebels have ramped up the provocations against their Saudi foes since last month, adding to regional chaos amid the US-Iran war. [2]

Context of Long-Running Civil War

Last month the Houthis killed 16 government troops south of Hodeidah; the overall civil war since 2014 has killed hundreds of thousands and created a major humanitarian crisis. [1] The Houthis have been at war with the Yemeni government since 2014 in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people. [2] Last month the Houthis killed 16 troops in an attack on government-aligned forces south of the port city of Hodeidah. [2] The Houthis are at war with the government since 2014 in a conflict that has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and provoked a serious humanitarian crisis in Yemen. [3] The rebels control Yemen’s capital Sanaa and much of the populous north, while the government holds much of the south. [2] The fighting had largely been frozen since a UN-negotiated truce in 2022 that had held despite expiring. [2] The rebels control the Yemeni capital Sanaa and much of the north of the country, while the internationally recognised government maintains control of much of the south. [3]

Recent Related Incidents

Major General Turki al-Maliki said early Friday the attack in southern Najran Province injured seven Saudis, one Yemeni, two Egyptians and one Pakistani national. [4] The victims included a 4-year-old child who suffered second-degree burns. [4] Maliki accused the Iran-aligned Houthis of indiscriminately shelling civilian areas in violation of international humanitarian law. [4] The Houthis claimed responsibility on Tuesday for an attack on Najran airport. [4] A senior Saudi official said intelligence found that the Houthis and Iraqi militias under the supervision of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could soon launch coordinated attacks on Saudi civilian sites including energy infrastructure, ports and airports. [4] The Houthis also killed more than 30 Yemeni government troops on Thursday after attacking what they described as Saudi military deployments in the Yemeni provinces of Marib and Hadramout. [4]

What to watch next: Saudi Arabia is seeking to deepen security cooperation with key allies while warning of an expanding regional threat from Iran-backed groups, with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan due to sign a defence agreement in the kingdom on Friday.