Houthi supporters chant slogans during a rally against the Saudi-led coalition in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
At least 58 troops loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government were killed and dozens wounded in Houthi missile and drone attacks on several military camps on Aug. 6, a military source told AFP.
Earlier medical sources had put the death toll at 38. Another military official, also speaking anonymously, described the attacks as the deadliest against government forces since 2022.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had targeted government positions with ballistic missiles and drones in response to what he described as a Saudi-backed military buildup.
Military sources said the strikes hit camps in the al-Ruwaik area of central Marib province and the al-Abr and al-Wadiah areas of Hadramawt, near the Saudi border.
One missile struck troops during a morning formation at the al-Ruwaik camp, killing or wounding at least 45 personnel, one source said.
Saree listed al-Ruwaik, al-Thaniyah and al-Abr among the areas targeted and said the Houthis were “prepared to confront any escalation.”
Yemen’s Defense Ministry said its forces would respond “at the appropriate place and time.”
The violence also crossed into Saudi territory, where Houthi attacks wounded 11 civilians in the southern Najran region, according to the Saudi-led coalition.
Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the injured included seven Saudis, one Yemeni, two Egyptians and one Pakistani.
The attacks followed a renewed escalation after fighting had largely remained frozen under a U.N.-brokered truce reached in 2022. The Houthis have also stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia during the regional war involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen’s government against the Houthis since 2015. The Iran-backed group controls the capital Sanaa and much of the country’s populous north, while government forces hold much of the south.
