Sanaa [Yemen], August 7: Yemen's Houthi rebels have killed at least 30 government soldiers and injured 15 in missile attacks on Yemeni military camps in Hadramout and Marib governorates, government sources told Al Jazeera.
Thursday's attacks on military camps, including some run by Yemen's Emergency Forces, are the deadliest for years in the country's civil war and continue the increase in violence seen in recent weeks. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the attacks, using missiles and drones, led to "hundreds" of casualties. The Yemeni military confirmed the attacks, framing them as a response to their own attacks on the Houthis.
Yemeni military sources said that the Houthis fired eight missiles from al-Jawf governorate, north of Marib, targeting al-Thiniya and al-Abr in Hadramout and al-Rouk in Marib.
The sources said casualty numbers were expected to rise.
Fighting in Yemen between the pro-Iranian Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces has intensified in recent weeks, after four years of relative calm. The Houthis also announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and have attacked ships linked to Yemen's northern neighbour.
Yemen's latest war began in 2014, when the Houthis took the Yemeni capital Sanaa. A military intervention from a Saudi-led coalition began the following year, but has been unable to fully defeat the Houthis. Saree said that Thursday's attack followed "military build-ups" by Saudi-backed government forces, "aimed at escalating the conflict".
Both the Houthis and the government have mobilised their forces in recent weeks, with clashes in western and central Yemen. Tensions increased a month ago when the Houthis said that an Iranian plane had been prevented from landing at Sanaa airport. On July 13 , the Yemeni government said that forces hit Sanaa airport to prevent another Iranian plane from landing. The Houthis responded by launching an attack on Saudi Arabia's Abha airport, which Riyadh said was intercepted.
The Houthis then announced their maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia on July 20 and began attacking Saudi-linked ships in the Red Sea in the following days.
Source: Qatar Tribune
