Conflict & Security
Houthis kill at least 38 Yemeni troops, medics say
Two medical sources told AFP that Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis killed at least 38 Saudi-backed government troops and injured 29 in missile and drone attacks on Thursday.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the rebels attacked government positions with ballistic missiles and drones in response to what he described as a military buildup backed by neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
A Yemeni military official described the attacks as the deadliest between the two sides since 2022. Yemen's internationally recognised government's defence ministry said its armed forces would respond to the attacks "at the appropriate place and time".
A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a military camp in the al-Ruwaik area of Marib province in central Yemen was attacked, along with camps in the Al-Abr and Al-Wadiah areas of Hadramawt near the Saudi border.
Another military source said one missile hit troops during morning formation at the Marib camp, killing and wounding at least 45 personnel. Saree named Al-Ruwaik, al-Thaniyah and al-Abr among the areas hit and said the Houthis were prepared to confront any escalation.
The renewed fighting follows a long period in which the conflict had largely been frozen since a UN-negotiated truce in 2022. AFP reported that the Houthis upended the truce last month amid the wider US-Iran war, with tit-for-tat attacks, a declared maritime blockade of Saudi ports and Houthi strikes on Saudi tankers.
Two medical officials told AFP that the Houthis killed 16 troops last month in an attack on government-aligned forces south of Hodeidah.
The Houthis have fought Yemen's internationally recognised government since 2014. The rebels control the capital Sanaa and much of the populous north, while the government holds much of the south.
Update
Yemen's internationally recognised government's defence ministry said its armed forces would respond to the missile and drone attacks at the appropriate place and time.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 August 2026 at 18:04:38 UTC.
Update
A Yemeni military official described the attacks as the deadliest violence between the Houthis and government forces since 2022.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree named al-Thaniyah among the areas hit.
The later account says the attacks risk a more intense cycle of violence and retaliation.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 August 2026 at 15:36:13 UTC.
Update
The Houthis said the attacks on Yemeni forces were a response to a Saudi military buildup.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 August 2026 at 14:37:10 UTC.
Update
Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed attacks on government forces.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 August 2026 at 14:33:58 UTC.
Update
Two medical sources told AFP that 29 Yemeni government troops were injured.
A military official identified the targeted areas as al-Ruwaik in Marib province and Al-Abr and Al-Wadiah in Hadramawt.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 August 2026 at 14:24:07 UTC.
Update
Medical sources said the death toll rose to at least 38 Yemeni government troops.
The attacks were described as Houthi missile and drone attacks.
A military official said the attacks targeted camps in central Yemen and near the Saudi border.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 August 2026 at 14:09:32 UTC.
Update
A Yemeni military official said a Houthi missile hit troops during morning formation at a camp in Marib province.
The official said at least 45 personnel were killed and wounded, without giving a breakdown.
The official declined to be named for security reasons.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 August 2026 at 13:56:26 UTC.
Update
Medical sources said at least 36 Yemeni troops were killed in Houthi attacks.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 August 2026 at 13:54:39 UTC.
Update
A Yemeni military official said the attack was a Houthi missile strike.
The official said the missile hit troops during morning formation at a camp in Marib province.
The official said at least 45 government personnel were killed or wounded.
The official did not give a breakdown of deaths and injuries.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 August 2026 at 13:47:46 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The 45 personnel reported killed and wounded at the Marib camp may overlap with the wider toll of at least 38 killed and 29 injured.
The exact number of dead and injured at each attacked location was not separately confirmed.
The alleged Saudi-backed military buildup cited by the Houthis was not independently established in the supplied material.
Source
AFP news report published on .