Houthi rebel forces conducted attacks on multiple Yemeni government military installations using ballistic missiles and unmanned aircraft, according to Yemen’s defence ministry. The strikes targeted camps located in Marib and Hadramawt provinces, resulting in reported fatalities ranging from 30 to over 40 personnel depending on the source. Medical sources cited by news agencies indicated at least 38 troops were killed with an additional 29 injured, while some military sources provided higher casualty figures. The defence ministry characterized the attacks as “treacherous” and pledged to mount a counteroffensive.
Houthi military officials claimed the operations targeted “large Saudi military build-ups” and asserted that hundreds of Saudi-backed forces were killed along with significant destruction of military infrastructure. The group stated the targeted facilities belonged to the Saudi-backed Yemeni Emergency Forces. International responses differed sharply, with a UN deputy spokesperson urging restraint from all parties and expressing concern about potential reversal of recent violence reductions, while the US mission condemned the attacks as “cowardly” terrorism.
The incidents represent an escalation in hostilities following the announcement of a Houthi “maritime embargo” earlier this week targeting Saudi Arabia. The group has launched multiple missile and drone operations against Saudi airports, oil facilities and shipping in the Red Sea, citing retaliation for a Saudi blockade of Houthi-controlled ports and airports. Saudi Arabia responded by conducting strikes on Houthi positions and establishing a new multinational naval coalition to protect regional shipping, with representatives from 43 countries participating in the coalition’s founding meeting.
The broader conflict stems from Yemen’s civil war, which began in 2014 when Houthis seized the capital and intensified after Saudi-led coalition intervention in 2015. While a UN-brokered ceasefire largely held since 2022, recent weeks have witnessed significant military escalation between the parties involved in the long-running conflict.
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