Houthi attack on Yemen army camp in Shabwa reportedly kills at least 53

The Houthis launched three ballistic missiles on Monday at the camp in Shabwa governorate during a training exercise, a spokesperson for the Yemeni government forces said.

Officials for the internationally-recognised government and medical sources initially said at least 18 people were killed and more than 30 wounded when the strike hit the facility, at which new security recruits were undergoing training.

However, the numbers have now risen dramatically. The local authority in Shabwa said later on Monday that 53 people had been killed and 200 injured, news agencies reported.

The attack was carried out as fighting continued to rage across Yemen. The civil war with between the Saudi-backed government and rebel Houthis was frozen for some years before the United States and Israel’s war on Iran provoked a return to conflict.

The hostilities escalated rapidly when the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah (Arabic for Supporters of God), seized strategic territory from forces loyal to the government along the Red Sea coast last month.

Government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, responded with a counteroffensive and then launched the “Dawn of Yemen” operation, which aims to recapture Houthi-held territory, including the capital, Sanaa, which the Iran-aligned group seized in 2014.

The Houthis, meanwhile, have stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia, including on Riyadh’s international airport and the state oil company Aramco.

On Monday, Saudi authorities sent alerts to residents of the capital Riyadh warning of “a hostile aerial threat”.

Rashad al-Alimi, the head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, said those killed in Shabwa were new recruits and promised a “firm response”.

“Targeting recruits reflects the Houthi militia’s approach of resorting to terrorist attacks when under pressure,” he said.

Reporting from Sanaa, Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry said the Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack.

“The Houthis said the attack targeted what they called a ‘Saudi-backed’ military base, referring to Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces who are stationed at military camps across the country,” he said.

“The Houthis say they will continue to target those bases. Spokesperson Yahya Saree says anywhere with a Saudi-backed military presence will be considered a legitimate target.”

Earlier, Yemeni government forces said they targeted Houthi gatherings, vehicles and weapons in al-Aqroudh, al-Shaqab and al-Sarari, south of Taiz, which is suffering from fuel shortages and soaring prices.