More than 100 killed in Yemen missile, drone attack

An attack by Iran-aligned Houthis on a military training camp in the Yemeni city of Marib has killed 100 people and wounded dozens of others.

People walk past a destroyed building targeted by a previous Saudi-led airstrike, in Sanaa, Yemen, 16 January 2020

People walk past a destroyed building targeted by a previous Saudi-led airstrike, in Sanaa, Yemen, 16 January 2020 Source: EPA

More than 100 people were killed and dozens wounded in a missile and drone attack blamed on Huthi rebels in central Yemen, officials said Sunday.

Saturday's strike follows months of relative calm in the war between the Iran-backed Huthis and Yemen's internationally recognised government, which is supported by a Saudi-led military coalition. 

The Huthis attacked a mosque in a military camp in the central province of Marib - about 170 kilometres east of the capital Sanaa - during evening prayers, military sources told AFP.

"We strongly condemn the terrorist attack on a mosque by the Huthi militias... which left more than 100 dead and dozens injured," the Yemeni foreign ministry said on Twitter.
Houthi rebel gunmen are seen in Yemen.
Houthi rebel gunmen in Yemen. Source: Getty.
An army spokesman said that the dead included soldiers and civilians, and that the Huthis would face a "ruthless" retaliation to the strike.

The victims were transported to a Marib city hospital, where a medical source earlier gave a toll of 83 dead and 148 injured.

Death tolls in Yemen's grinding conflict are often disputed, but the huge casualty list in Marib represents one of the bloodiest single attacks since the war erupted in 2014 when the rebels seized Sanaa.
The Huthis did not make any immediate claim of responsibility.

Saudi-owned Al-Hadath television broadcast a video that it said showed the gruesome aftermath of the attack.

Body parts can be seen on the floor among shredded debris. Blood is pooled on the carpet and spattered against the walls.
A wall with banners depicting portraits of Houthi fighters killed in Yemen's ongoing conflict.
A wall with banners depicting portraits of Houthi fighters killed in Yemen's ongoing conflict. Source: AP
The drone and missile strike came a day after coalition-backed government forces launched a large-scale operation against the Huthis in the Nihm region, north of Sanaa. 

Fighting in Nihm was ongoing on Sunday, a military source said according to the official Saba news agency.

"Dozens from the (Huthi) militia were killed and injured," the source added. 


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Published 19 January 2020 5:16pm
Updated 20 January 2020 5:13am
Source: Reuters, SBS


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