Death Toll from Houthi Strike on Yemen Government Camp Climbs to 73

Local Yemeni authorities on Tuesday raised the death toll from a Houthi missile strike on a government military camp to 73, as fighting between the Iran-backed group and Yemen’s internationally recognised, Saudi-supported government intensifies.

The attack, which took place on Monday in the oil- and gas-rich Shabwa province, was the deadliest in weeks. Violence has escalated since the collapse of a years-long truce between the Houthis and government forces.

In a statement, provincial authorities said the death toll had climbed to 73, while search operations were continuing to determine the fate of 14 people still missing.

Authorities had initially reported 53 deaths on Monday, with more than 200 others injured. The casualties were all newly recruited members of the internal security forces who were undergoing training at the camp.

Majed al-Nuzaili, spokesperson for the Yemeni armed forces, said on Monday that the Houthis had fired three ballistic missiles at Shabwa. In a post on X, he said the attack struck a training centre for personnel from security and police agencies.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree later confirmed the group's responsibility for the strike. He said the attack targeted what he described as "Saudi enemy gatherings" at Al-Alam camp, which he claimed was operated by a Saudi officer in Yemen's eastern regions.

Shabwa is a strategically important province that contains major oil and gas fields. It is also home to the Balhaf liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, Yemen's largest energy facility and a crucial economic asset.

A government military source in the province said on Monday that the army feared the strikes could signal preparations for a ground offensive similar to the Houthi takeover of Mocha, a strategically located Red Sea port city seized by the group last month.

Meanwhile, the Houthis said on Tuesday that Saudi airstrikes on two fishing boats off the coast of Taiz province had killed eight people.

The Houthi-affiliated Saba news agency reported that eight fishermen were killed when Saudi aircraft bombed two fishing boats off Al-Kadha, in the Dhubab district.

The area lies along Yemen's western coastline near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategically significant maritime passage that the Houthis reportedly seized control of last month.