Cairo, Oct 20. (dpa/GNA) – The death toll from a missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi militia on a military training camp has risen to 53, authorities said on Tuesday.
More than 200 other troops were injured in the attack in the southern province of Shabwa, according to local officials. It was one of the deadliest attacks by the Shiite rebels on government forces, since fighting in Yemen escalated again in September. Earlier reports had put the death toll at more than 30. The casualty figures could not be independently verified.
An army spokesman said, the Houthis had fired three missiles at a training camp for newly recruited security personnel in Shabwa.
Local authorities condemned the strike as a “treacherous and bloody attack.” The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on Monday, saying they had targeted Saudi troops in the area.
The Iranian-backed militia also accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out more than 200 missile and airstrikes on Sana’a and other provinces within 48 hours, and more than 2,700 strikes since the latest escalation began.
Saudi Arabia is fighting alongside Yemen’s internationally recognized government and allied militias, to push back the Houthis, who have also stepped up attacks on the kingdom.
The Saudi-led military coalition said on Tuesday, it had intercepted another missile aimed at Riyadh.
GNA