A major explosion rocked a Yemeni army base Sunday in the Modiya district of the southern governorate of Abyan with initial reports saying the attack, likely staged by Houthi militias, killed and injured at least 20 soldiers.
The assault on the army base follows Iran-backed Houthi militants losing ground in battlefields in the central governorate of Al Bayda.
Medics and military sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the blast was either caused by a missile or a drone that targeted a mosque in the army’s Fifth Infantry Brigade camp in Modiya district in Abyan governorate when soldiers were performing the afternoon prayers.
At least five were killed, and 15 were injured, sources said, adding some of the wounded were in critical condition.
According to army analysts, Houthi militias stand to benefit the most from the attack, which could have been staged to confuse pro-government forces, like the army and the popular resistance.
They added that the hit took advantage of tensions between forces loyal to the internationally recognized government and Southern Transitional Council (STC) factions in some parts of Abyan.
A probe into the attack was launched, and initial results will be announced as soon as they are ready.
Meanwhile, pro-government armed popular resistance forces, backed by the Yemeni army’s Giants Brigade, continued to advance against Houthi positions in the al-Zahir district in Al Bayda, official sources reported.
The push seeks to secure hold on vital areas like Dhi Mukhshib, Jahour, and AsSwadna that lie on a strategic crossroad in the Jamajim area of al-Zahir.
Such progress ensures that government loyalists would surround the center of the Al-Zahir district, only a few kilometers away from the governorate’s capital city, also called Al Bayda. This will also help in cutting off major supply routes to the militias.
