At least 30 soldiers were killed and 60 wounded on Sunday in strikes by the Iran-backed Houthi militias on Yemen’s al-Anad military air base.
The Houthis have carried out several attacks using armed drones and ballistic missiles on the base, Yemeni southern forces spokesman Mohamed al-Naqeeb said.
Naqeeb said that between 30 to 40 soldiers were killed and at least 60 wounded, adding the death toll may still rise as rescuers were still clearing the scene.
The southern forces are part of the Saudi-led Arab coalition.
Two medical sources said several bodies had arrived at Lahj province’s main hospital along with another 16 wounded people. It was unclear if civilians were among the casualties.
Residents said that several loud blasts were heard in the al-Anad area, which is located at some 70 km (43 miles) north of the southern port city of Aden.
Several other residents from the disputed central city of Taiz said they heard ballistic missiles fired from launchers positioned in the Houthi-held eastern suburbs of the city.
In 2019, the Houthis said they launched a drone strike on al-Anad during a military parade, with medics and government sources saying at the time at least six loyalists were killed -- including a high-ranking intelligence official.
Al-Anad was the headquarters for US troops overseeing a long-running drone war against Al-Qaeda until March 2014 when it was overrun by the Houthis.
It was recaptured by government forces in August 2015 as they recovered territory from the militias across the south with support from the Arab coalition.
