Houthi drone and missile barrage kills 17 Yemeni soldiers: Army

Tarek Chouiref

Seventeen Yemeni soldiers and officers were killed and several others injured in an attack by the Houthi group involving ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones, the Yemeni military said early Friday.

The Joint Operations Command of the Yemeni Armed Forces said the attack targeted forces carrying out operations against terrorism, organized crime and networks smuggling weapons and drugs to the Houthis.

The country’s leadership ordered measures to prevent similar attacks and a “deterrent response,” the statement said, without providing further details.

The new toll came a day after government Emergency Forces reported casualties and material losses in Houthi attacks on several military camps and units, without providing figures.

Local media reported that the attacks targeted government forces in the central Marib and eastern Hadramawt governorates.

The Houthis later claimed responsibility for the attacks, with military spokesman Yahya Saree saying the group carried out a “large-scale” operation against Saudi-backed forces in Al-Ruwaik, Al-Abr and Al-Thaniyah, as well as other military camps.

Saree said the attacks involved a large number of ballistic missiles and drones.

The attacks came amid intermittent fighting across several front lines in Yemen since early July, leaving dozens of casualties on both sides.

Yemen has seen a relative lull in fighting since April 2022. The war began more than 11 years ago between government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-backed Houthi group, which has controlled the capital, Sanaa, and other parts of the country since Sept. 21, 2014.