Houthi missile strike kills at least 53 at Yemen training camp, authorities say

At least 53 people were killed and more than 200 injured when Houthi ballistic missiles struck a government security forces training camp in Yemen’s Shabwa province on Monday, local authorities said.

Three missiles hit the al-Alam camp near Ataq, according to government and local officials. Shabwa’s media office identified the site as the Martyr Ahmed al-Sulaimani Training Centre and said recruits from several provinces were training there for the police and internal security forces. Earlier reports from two Yemeni military officials put the death toll at 20 and said at least two dozen troops were wounded, indicating that casualty figures rose as authorities assessed the attack.

Shabwa deputy governor Fahad al-Khalifi told AFP that provincial hospitals were overwhelmed and transferred critically wounded patients to Hadramout and Aden. Reuters-verified video showed injured people and bodies at the site.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the missiles targeted a concentration of “Saudi enemy” forces at a camp he said was operated by Saudi officers. Yemen’s Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani disputed that characterization, saying the centre trained internal security personnel and was not a military target. Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi condemned the attack and promised a response.

The strike came amid intensified fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government. Pro-government forces launched an offensive in early October to retake Houthi-held territory, while fighting has continued along the Red Sea coast and around Taiz, Marib and al-Jawf.