Houthis kill dozens of Saudi-backed Yemeni govt troops

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis killed dozens of Saudi-backed government troops in missile and drone attacks on Thursday, medical sources said. The assault marks the deadliest violence between the two sides since 2022, as Yemen becomes the latest front in the wider US-Iran conflict.

Why did the Houthis attack Yemeni government forces?

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the rebels struck government positions with ballistic missiles and drones, in what he described as a response to a Saudi-backed military buildup. Medical sources told AFP the attacks killed at least 38 government troops and wounded 29 others.

Where did the Houthi attacks in Yemen take place?

A military official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the rebels hit a military camp in the al-Ruwaik area of Marib province, in central Yemen, as well as camps in the Al-Abr and Al-Wadiah areas of Hadramawt, near the Saudi border. One missile struck troops during their morning formation at the Marib camp, killing and wounding at least 45 personnel, according to a separate military source who declined to be named for security reasons.

Saree named Al-Ruwaik, al-Thaniyah and al-Abr among the areas hit and warned that the rebels were prepared to confront any escalation. The attacks risk pushing Yemen into a more intense cycle of violence and retaliation.

How does this attack fit into the wider US-Iran conflict?

The Houthis have escalated provocations against Saudi Arabia since last month, turning Yemen into another front in the broader US-Iran war. The rebels welcomed an Iranian plane directly into the capital Sanaa, which triggered tit-for-tat attacks between the two sides. They later announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began targeting its oil 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 to the Houthi-Yemen government 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 internationally recognized government holds much of the south.

Fighting between the two sides had largely been frozen since a UN-negotiated truce in 2022, which held despite technically expiring.