Conflict & Security
Houthis say attacks on Yemeni troops answered Saudi buildup
Yemen's Houthi rebels said attacks on government forces were a response to a “Saudi military buildup”, after strikes that medical sources said killed at least 38 troops and injured 29 on August 6.
A Yemeni military official told AFP that attacks hit a military camp in the al-Ruwaik area of Marib province, in central Yemen, and camps in the Al-Abr and Al-Wadiah areas of Hadramawt, near the Saudi border.
Another military source, who declined to be named for security reasons, said one missile attack hit troops during morning formation at the Marib camp, killing and wounding at least 45 personnel.
The attacks came after renewed fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Yemen's Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government. Yemen's fighting had been largely frozen since a UN-negotiated truce in 2022, but the truce was upended last month amid the US-Iran war, with tit-for-tat attacks and Houthi threats against Saudi shipping.
Two medical officials told AFP that the Houthis killed 16 troops last month in an attack on government-aligned forces south of the port city of Hodeidah.
The Houthis have fought the government since 2014 and control Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, while the internationally recognised government holds much of the south.
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 casualty figures are attributed to medical sources and military sources and may overlap in part.
The Houthis' statement describes their claimed reason for the attacks; the supplied information does not independently verify that rationale.
Source
AFP news report published on .