In brief
The Houthi movement detonated ballistic missiles at the Al‑Alam training camp near Ataq in Shabwa province, killing over 50 recruits and injuring more than 200. Local officials say the strike destroyed the Martyr Ahmed al‑Sulaimani training centre, a site for the government’s internal security forces. President Rashad al‑Alimi condemned the assault as a criminal act, while Houthi commander Yahya Sarea claimed the attack targeted a Saudi‑run gathering. The strike is part of a broader flare‑up of fighting that followed a pro‑government offensive earlier this month. Hospitals in Shabwa are overwhelmed, with patients being transferred to Aden and Hadramout for treatment.
In a deadly missile attack on Monday, the Iran‑backed Houthi movement struck the Al‑Alam training camp near Ataq in Yemen’s Shabwa province, killing more than 50 recruits and wounding over 200.
The camp was used to train members of the government’s internal security forces, according to local officials who say the strike destroyed the Martyr Ahmed al‑Sulaimani training centre.
A spokesman for Saudi‑backed forces said the Houthi group launched three ballistic missiles at the site, calling the location a “Saudi enemy concentration.”
President Rashad al‑Alimi condemned the attack as a “criminal strike” and vowed a firm response, while Houthi military chief Yahya Sarea claimed the missiles targeted a gathering of Saudi officers.
The assault comes amid a flare‑up of fighting after a pro‑government offensive earlier this month reclaimed territory on the Red Sea coast and pushed the Houthis back from the Bab al‑Mandab Strait.
Shabwa hospitals are overwhelmed, forcing the transfer of critical patients to Aden and the neighbouring Hadramout region for treatment.
Information minister Moammar al‑Eryani has called the strike a war crime, noting the target was not a military facility, and accused the Houthis of seeking “false media victories.”
In the past week, Saudi‑led air raids have killed 141 civilians in Houthi‑controlled areas, while the Houthis have struck Saudi airports and energy sites, killing at least 19 people in the kingdom.
Yemen’s decade‑long civil war, which erupted in 2014, has seen the Saudi‑led coalition intervene to restore government rule and has escalated into a regional showdown over control of critical maritime lanes.
