Houthi Attacks Kill at Least 38 Yemeni Troops Amid Escalating Tensions with Saudi Arabia

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group said Thursday it launched a series of missile and drone attacks against government positions in response to what it described as a large Saudi military buildup, while medical sources said the strikes killed at least 38 Yemeni soldiers in one of the deadliest days of fighting between the two sides in years.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree accused neighboring Saudi Arabia of amassing forces in preparation for new attacks, claiming the group's military operation targeted concentrations of what he called "Saudi enemy troops" supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government.

"Therefore, our armed forces conducted a large-scale and precise military operation targeting Saudi enemy troop concentrations," Saree said, describing the strikes as a response to the alleged buildup.

Medical sources told AFP that the missile and drone attacks killed at least 38 government troops and wounded another 29.

A Yemeni military official said a military camp in the al-Ruwaik area of Marib province in central Yemen came under attack, along with military positions in the Al-Abr and Al-Wadiah areas of Hadramawt province near the Saudi border.

According to another military source, one missile struck soldiers during their morning formation at the Marib camp, causing heavy casualties.

"At least 45 personnel were killed and wounded," the source told AFP on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.

The latest violence marks a significant escalation in Yemen's long-running conflict, which has intensified in recent weeks after the country became the latest front in the broader confrontation between the United States and Iran.

Last month, the Houthis effectively ended the relative calm that had prevailed since the 2022 UN-brokered truce after welcoming an Iranian aircraft directly into the capital, Sanaa. The move triggered reciprocal attacks, after which the group announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia and began targeting Saudi oil tankers.

The renewed hostilities have resulted in a growing number of casualties. Last month, Houthi attacks killed 16 government-aligned troops south of the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, according to medical officials.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government to relocate. The war has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, either directly through fighting or indirectly through famine and disease, and has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

The Houthis continue to control the capital and much of northern Yemen, while the internationally recognized government retains control over large parts of the south.

Although a UN-mediated truce negotiated in 2022 significantly reduced large-scale combat, it formally expired without a permanent settlement. Despite holding for several years, the fragile ceasefire has unraveled amid the wider regional escalation, raising fears of a return to full-scale war in Yemen.