Houthi rebels kill 58 Yemeni soldiers in deadliest attacks since 2022 truce

At least 58 members of Yemen's government forces died Thursday in Houthi drone and missile attacks, the deadliest strike since a 2022 truce. The Yemeni Ministry of Defense vowed retaliation against the "aggression."

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attacks. They stated the strikes were in response to what they described as a recent reinforcement of Yemeni troops supported by Saudi Arabia. A military source told AFP that 58 soldiers were killed and dozens wounded, a higher toll than an initial report of 38 dead and 29 injured from medical sources.

The attacks hit military camps in the Al-Ruwaik area of Marib province and in Al-Abr and Al-Wadiah in Hadramaut, near the Saudi border. These assaults are the most lethal since the 2022 ceasefire, which ended more than seven years of devastating war in Yemen, the poorest nation on the Arabian Peninsula.

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Our armed forces carried out a large-scale operation targeting concentrations of enemy troops

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree confirmed the operation, calling it a "large-scale operation targeting enemy troop concentrations" and denouncing a "significant Saudi military reinforcement." He warned that the rebels were prepared for escalation.

Separately, on the same Thursday, eleven civilians were injured in new attacks on the border between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition reported. This marked an unprecedented toll in the kingdom in over four years of hostilities. Among the injured were seven Saudis, two Egyptians, one Yemeni, and one Pakistani, according to coalition spokesman General Turki al-Malki.

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Our armed forces will respond to this aggression at the appropriate time and place