ADEN: Around 40 people were killed or wounded on Monday in the Shabwa missile strike, as Houthi ballistic missiles hit a military camp in Yemen’s eastern Shabwa province, according to a local official. It was one of the deadliest attacks since the collapse of the country’s truce.
The deputy governor of Shabwa said the missiles hit the al-Alam camp in the province’s Jardan district, where new recruits were training to join the security forces, local news outlet Yemen Monitor reported. Local sources put the initial toll at 40 casualties, with no breakdown of the dead and injured.
A spokesperson for Yemen’s armed forces said the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the province, hitting a training centre for security and police personnel. He accused the group of deliberately killing Yemenis across the country’s provinces. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the reported attack.
Shabwa missile strike shatters the 2022 ceasefire calm
The attack marks another sharp escalation in fighting between the Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa and much of the north, and forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition. A 2022 truce had largely halted the fighting, but hostilities have intensified in recent months amid the wider Iran-United States conflict.
The strike came amid a surge of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia itself. The group has in recent days targeted Riyadh’s international airport and the state oil company Saudi Aramco, and its advances now threaten the strategic Bab el-Mandeb oil shipping route.
The Shabwa missile strike also carries a direct Pakistan connection. The United States embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert for Americans across the Middle East “due to the complex security environment”, warning of flight cancellations, airspace closures and the risk of rapid escalation. Pakistani carriers have already felt the fallout: PIA suspended its Riyadh flights after earlier Houthi strikes on Saudi airports, and a Saudi pilot was among those killed in strikes on Riyadh airport in recent weeks.
Egypt offers Saudi Arabia full support
“Egypt will provide Saudi Arabia with all necessary and possible forms of support to defend its security and stability, protect its resources, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites,” the Egyptian presidency said in a statement. The statement followed a meeting of Egypt’s National Defence Council chaired by Sisi and attended by the parliamentary speaker, the prime minister and the army chief.
Hours after the announcement, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said in a post on X that he had discussed regional developments and the importance of de-escalation during a phone call with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
If Egypt weighs in, it could face attacks by the Houthis, whose missiles and drones threaten the region.
Regional alliances harden as fighting spreads
Egypt and Saudi Arabia are close strategic and economic partners. Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Gulf states including the United Arab Emirates provided Egypt with billions of dollars in aid, central-bank deposits and investments after the military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Sisi became president a year later.
Egypt had previously joined the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government against the Houthis, but played a limited combat role in the civil war. Any Egyptian military backing for Saudi Arabia now could mark a major escalation in the wider Iran war, which has threatened global energy supplies and sent oil prices soaring.
Riyadh has turned to regional allies and Pakistan after it sought US President Donald Trump’s help to fight the Houthis. Trump did not agree to US strikes, sources told Reuters last month. Washington instead offered targeting assistance and intelligence-sharing.
Pakistan’s own position has been spelled out by the Foreign Office: the Makkah alliance forces will not cross into Yemen to attack the Houthis, keeping the new defence pact purely defensive. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said the Makkah pact does not bar “direct involvement” of members facing aggression, while the information ministry rejected a New York Times report claiming Pakistani jets were being used against the Houthis.
FAQs
Where did the Shabwa missile strike take place?
The al-Alam camp in Shabwa’s Jardan district, where new recruits were training to join the security forces.
How many people were killed in the Shabwa camp strike?
Around 40 people were killed or wounded, according to the deputy governor of Shabwa. The initial toll gave no breakdown of dead and injured.
Did the Houthis claim responsibility for the Shabwa attack?
No. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis at the time of reporting.
What is Egypt’s role in the Saudi-Houthi conflict?
Egypt said it would give Saudi Arabia all necessary support, and President Sisi sought parliament’s authorisation for military help if asked.
