Shabwa, Yemen: Houthi missile attack on army camp kills at least 18

The Houthis, the Islamic Republic's allied militia in Yemen, struck a training camp of the forces of Yemen's legitimate government in the southern province of Shabwa with a ballistic missile on the morning of Monday, 19 October 2026. Yemeni government and medical sources put the death toll at no fewer than 18, and two Yemeni military officials reported at least 20 soldiers killed and more than 24 wounded.

According to Yemeni government sources, three ballistic missiles were fired at the soldiers during morning drills; some reports speak of a single missile. Majed al-Nazili, spokesman for the Yemeni army, also reported three missiles. The facility trained security forces and police. The official Saba news agency said a number of new army recruits were killed or wounded. Higher death tolls published by some regional media have not been confirmed by local sources.

The Yemeni government's reaction

Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, citing the Saba news agency, called the attack a cowardly act of terrorism and said it showed the pressure the Houthis are under and the failure of their plans, which, he said, the Islamic Republic backs. Al-Alimi ordered the responsible bodies to give a decisive response to the perpetrators. As of publication, the Houthis have made no comment on the attack.

The Yemen war and the Islamic Republic's role

Yemeni government forces launched an operation this October to retake areas under Houthi control and have advanced near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The Houthis had earlier targeted Aden airport and the Maashiq presidential palace with missiles and drones, killing five security personnel. In recent weeks they have also repeatedly targeted Saudi airports and facilities, including the downing of a Saudi helicopter in Najran, which the Houthis claimed.

The Shabwa attack comes as European officials have reported the Islamic Republic's use of small submarines to deliver weapons to the Houthis and the UAE has returned to the Yemen war with Saudi Arabia's agreement. The Yemen war has flared up again this year after the 2022 ceasefire, and aid organisations are warning of a rapidly worsening humanitarian situation in the country.

The ballistic missiles of the Houthis, allies of the Islamic Republic, this time targeted Yemeni soldiers at a training camp.