'About 200 recruits wounded; some in critical condition'

A Houthi fighter participates in an offensive against Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces in Jawf province, Yemen, in a frame grab from footage released by the Houthi military media center Monday (local time). [EPA]
A Houthi fighter participates in an offensive against Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces in Jawf province, Yemen, in a frame grab from footage released by the Houthi military media center Monday (local time). [EPA]

Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched a ballistic missile strike on a Yemeni government military base in the country's south Monday (local time), killing more than 50 people and wounding about 200 others in a devastating blow.

The rebels fired the missile at the Al-Alam military base in the southern Shabwa province, according to international news agencies including AP and AFP. At least 53 people were killed and about 200 recruits were wounded, provincial authorities said.

The casualty toll is the highest since the Houthis formally ended a truce with Saudi Arabia and Saudi-backed government forces in July and resumed full-scale offensive operations.

Fahad al-Halifi, deputy governor of Shabwa province, said some of the wounded were in critical condition, adding that local hospitals were overwhelmed by the influx of patients and that the most seriously injured had to be transferred to medical facilities in the nearby Hadramawt and Aden regions.

The Houthis confirmed the attack. In a statement, the group said its forces "carried out a strike operation using six ballistic missiles targeting Saudi enemy reinforcements massed at six locations, including the Al-Saqiya and Ras al-Ara areas," adding that the strikes hit their marks, causing dozens of casualties and destroying multiple military vehicles.

Meanwhile, the Houthi-run health ministry said a Saudi-led coalition airstrike on the rebel-held northern Saada province Monday killed at least nine people, including five children and two women.

The rebels said the strike was one of several attacks over the weekend that caused more than 30 casualties in total. Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment.


yckim6452@heraldcorp.com