Death toll from Houthi missile attack on Shabwa camp rises to 53

The number of victims of the Houthi missile attack on the al-Alam military camp in Yemen's Shabwa province has risen to at least 53 dead and about 200 wounded. According to local officials in Shabwa province, most of the victims of the attack on Monday, 19 October 2026, were newly recruited forces undergoing a training course at the camp. DIAR's earlier report had reported at least 18 dead.

The al-Alam camp, near the city of Ataq, the capital of Shabwa province, belongs to the province's emergency forces and was hosting the troops of a newly formed brigade at the time of the attack. Majed al-Nazili, a spokesman for Yemen's armed forces, said the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the camp. Initial estimates from military and medical sources spoke of 18 and then more than 30 dead, and the figure rose as the hours passed; these figures have not yet been independently confirmed.

The Yemeni government's reaction and the Houthi claim

Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, said the dead were newly arrived recruits and promised a "decisive response". He called the targeting of forces in training a sign that the Houthis are resorting to terrorist attacks at a time of pressure.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack. Yahya Saree, the group's military spokesman, called every place where Saudi-backed forces are present a "legitimate target" and announced that such attacks would continue. At the same time, Saudi Arabian authorities on Monday warned residents of Riyadh of an "air threat".

The war in Yemen and the role of the Islamic Republic

The Shabwa attack came as the war in Yemen, after years of relative lull, has turned back into a full-scale battle. The Houthis recently took parts of the Red Sea coast from government forces and a few days ago targeted the presidential palace in Aden; in response, government forces backed by Saudi Arabia have launched an operation named "Dawn of Yemen" to retake areas under Houthi control, including Sanaa.

The Houthis are the Islamic Republic's most important ally on the Arabian Peninsula, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is accused of sending missile and drone parts to them on Mahan Air flights. In past years, the US and British navies have repeatedly seized shipments of ballistic missile parts and anti-tank missiles sent from Iran to the Houthis.

Three ballistic missiles from the Houthis, allies of the Islamic Republic, targeted troops in training at the al-Alam camp in Shabwa.