The death toll from Monday's Houthi missile attack on a training center for recruits in Yemen's southeastern Shabwa province has risen to 53, with more than 200 wounded, according to preliminary figures released by local authorities. The strike was one of the deadliest attacks targeting security personnel in the province.
Three ballistic missiles struck the Martyr Ahmed Al-Sulaimani Training Center on the outskirts of Ataq, the provincial capital, while new internal security recruits were undergoing training and qualification programs, according to a statement from the local authorities.
The authorities announced that those killed would be officially recognized as having died in the line of duty, with their salaries permanently allocated to their families. They also pledged to safeguard the rights and financial entitlements of the wounded and ensure their payment without delay, while mobilizing the necessary resources to provide medical care.
As part of the emergency medical response, local authorities ordered the General Authority Hospital, the Maternity and Childhood Hospital, and private hospitals to raise their readiness levels, ensure adequate supplies of medicines and emergency medical equipment, and transfer critically injured patients to specialized medical centers when necessary.
They also praised Shabwa residents for turning out to donate blood and support the wounded.
Local authorities held the Iran-backed Houthi group fully responsible for the attack and the resulting casualties, describing the targeting of recruits during training as an extremely serious military escalation. They called for urgent measures to protect military and security facilities and their personnel.
Meanwhile, Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi was briefed on developments during a telephone call with Shabwa Governor Awad bin Al-Wazir.
Al-Alimi instructed the relevant authorities to provide necessary medical treatment to the wounded, care for the families of those killed, complete procedures to settle their entitlements and ensure payment of their salaries, and take the necessary measures to respond firmly to the sources of the attack.
He said the targeting of recruits reflected what he described as the Houthis' tendency to resort to attacks whenever they faced pressure or setbacks in plans backed by the Iranian regime.
Al-Alimi stressed that such attacks would not deter the state from fulfilling its responsibilities to protect citizens and restore national institutions.
He also vowed that the victims' deaths would not go unanswered, emphasizing that caring for their families and honoring their sacrifices was a national responsibility.
Earlier, a spokesperson for Yemeni government forces had announced that three ballistic missiles struck a training center for security and police personnel in Shabwa, before local authorities released the preliminary casualty toll of 53 killed and more than 200 wounded.
