Houthi strikes on airbase kill at least 30 pro-government troops in Yemen: Sources

At least 30 soldiers were killed and 60 wounded in Iran-backed Houthi strikes on a military base belonging to forces of the Arab coalition, southern forces spokesman Mohamed al-Naqeeb said on Sunday.

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Medics said they received seven bodies and treated more than 50 people injured in the attack on al-Anad air base in the government-held southern province of Lahij.

The internationally recognized government, backed by an Arab military coalition -- and the Iran-backed Houthi militia -- have been locked in war since 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa.

Armed forces spokesman Mohammed al-Naqib told AFP there were casualties, without giving numbers, accusing the Houthis of launching missile and drone strikes.

A local pro-government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed fatalities.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthi side.

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, some 60 kilometers (40 miles) north of Yemen’s second city Aden, 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 Houthis across the south with support from the Arab coalition.

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