At least 30 Saudi-led coalition soldiers were killed and 65 others wounded following a combined Houthi ballistic missile and weaponized drone attack launched the city of Taiz on Al-Anad Air Base, Lahij Governorate. A ballistic missile landed in the base’s training area, where dozens of troops were doing morning exercise. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the civil war in recent years, and unlike previous attacks, the Houthis refrained from claiming responsibility. Social networks published alleged Houthi video clip of the attack.
Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi expressed condolences for the dead and vowed that the “Houthis will pay heavily for all the crimes they have committed against the people of Yemen”
Al – Anad -founded by the British- is one of the most significant military bases in South Yemen. It has symbolic importance for the southerners, as it is one of the biggest military bases in South Yemen before and after the unity located 60 kilometers north of Yemen’s second city Aden. United States used it as a launch point for drones to track the AQAP elements. The base includes a runway, armories, annex residential building for pilots, as well as a training camp and maintenance workshops for the military planes and the heavy equipment.
Note: The use of ballistic missiles, rockets and weaponized drones, and Waterborne IEDs (WBIED) to target Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen and strategic infrastructure (airports, oil installations) in Saudi territory to ensure maximum destruction and high casualties for the Yemeni government and Saudi-led coalition.
Missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi-led forces are likely to continue for the duration of the conflict. The attack came as the Iranian-backed Houthis face firm resistance and suffered heavy fatalities in their months-long attempt to take the crucial city of Marib from the internationally recognized Hadi’s government while escalating cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The combined increase of missile and weaponized drone attacks on Saudi Arabia has come amid growing international efforts to halt the fighting and relaunch peace talks between the warring parties to end the ongoing war. Cathy Westley, Chargé d’Affaires for the U.S. Embassy to Yemen, met with the Minister of Defense on August 31 and expressed condolences for those killed & wounded in the Houthi attack.
