Houthi missile attacks kill 58 Yemeni government forces

Yemen's Houthi rebels killed at least 58 Saudi-backed government troops in missile and drone attacks on Thursday, a military source said, in one of the deadliest days of Yemen's civil war in four years.

The strikes hit army camps in Marib and Hadramawt provinces as Yemen was pulled further into the broader US-Israeli war against Iran.

How many Yemeni government troops were killed?

At least 58 troops were killed and dozens wounded, according to a military source, with the toll rising from an earlier count of 38 dead reported by medical officials. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the rebels struck government positions with ballistic missiles and drones.

Yemen's defense ministry said its armed forces would respond to the attacks at the appropriate place and time. The statement did not specify when or how government forces planned to retaliate.

Why did the Houthis attack Saudi-backed forces?

Saree said the attacks were carried out in response to an alleged military buildup backed by Saudi Arabia near the border. The rebels have escalated provocations against Saudi Arabia since last month, adding to regional turmoil since the US-Iran war began on February 28. Yemen has emerged as a new front in the wider Middle East conflict built around the US-Israeli battle against Iran.

A military official said Thursday's attacks on troop camps were the worst in Yemen since 2022. One missile strike hit troops during morning formation at a camp in Marib, killing and wounding at least 45 personnel, a military source said. Saree named Al-Ruwaik, al-Thaniyah and al-Abr among the areas hit, warning the rebels were prepared to confront any escalation.

Did the Houthi attacks reach Saudi Arabia?

The escalation spilled across the border on Thursday, with Saudi officials saying Houthi attacks wounded 11 civilians in the southern Najran region. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said the wounded included seven Saudis, a Yemeni, two Egyptians and a Pakistani, according to the Saudi Press Agency. Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition backing Yemen's government against the Houthis since 2015.

Al-Malki accused the rebels of carrying out indiscriminate shelling against civilian objects and said coalition forces would continue taking measures to protect civilians.

How is Yemen connected to the US-Iran war?

Yemen, embroiled in more than a decade of war, became drawn into the wider Middle East conflict last month when the Tehran-backed Houthis upended a 2022 truce with the Saudi-backed government. The rebels welcomed an Iranian plane directly into the capital Sanaa, triggering tit-for-tat attacks. They later announced a maritime blockade of Saudi ports and began targeting its tankers.

Last month, the Houthis killed 16 troops in an attack on government-aligned forces south of the port city of Hodeidah, two medical officials told AFP.

What is the background of the Yemen conflict?

The Houthis have been at war with Yemen's government since 2014, in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and triggered a major humanitarian crisis. The rebels control the capital Sanaa and much of the populous north, while the government holds much of the south. Fighting had largely been frozen since a UN-negotiated truce in 2022 that held despite expiring.