Houthi drone and missile attacks kill at least 38 Yemeni government troops in Marib and Hadramaut

Attacks across Marib and Hadramaut

Houthi forces launched drone and ballistic missile attacks on Thursday, August 6, 2026, targeting military camps belonging to Yemen's internationally recognized government in the provinces of Marib and Hadramaut. Medical sources told AFP that at least 38 government troops were killed and 29 wounded, making it one of the deadliest days of violence since a 2022 ceasefire. Government sources put the toll at at least 30 killed and at least 50 wounded, and said the death toll could rise. A second military official, speaking anonymously for security reasons, said one missile struck troops during morning training at a camp in the Al-Ruwaik area of Marib, killing and wounding at least 45 personnel.

The attacks hit a camp in Al-Ruwaik in Marib province in central Yemen, as well as camps in Al-Abr and Al-Wadiah in Hadramaut province, near the Saudi border. Marib and Hadramaut are oil-rich provinces controlled by the government.

Houthi claim and justification

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had launched "a large number of drones and ballistic missiles" at Yemeni military camps in Marib and Hadramaut. He said the attack was carried out after the Houthis "monitored a large Saudi military mobilization" that was "aiming to escalate" against them. Saree warned the Saudi government that it "will bear the consequences of any escalation."

The Houthis described the targets as Saudi-backed "mobilizations." The Yemeni military said in a statement on social media that the Houthis had attacked "several camps and units of the Armed Forces," resulting in "human and material losses," without providing a death toll.

Collapse of the 2022 ceasefire

The attacks follow the breakdown of a ceasefire that had held since 2022 between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government. Over the past month, Yemen has become the latest front in the US-Iran war. The Houthis, backed by Tehran, suspended the truce after an Iranian plane landed directly in the capital Sanaa, defying Saudi dominance over Yemeni airspace. The landing triggered retaliation and was followed by a Houthi-declared maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia and attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. The Houthis have also fired on passing commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

Earlier in July, 16 soldiers were killed in a Houthi attack on government forces south of the port city of Hodeida, medical sources told AFP. The civil war in Yemen, which began in 2014 when the Houthis seized control of Sanaa and other territory, has killed hundreds of thousands of people from violence, hunger, and disease. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to oust the Houthis and restore the internationally recognized government.

Fears of renewed civil war

The truce is nearing collapse after months of escalating tensions and intermittent ground skirmishes between government and Houthi forces. The escalation threatens to reignite Yemen's civil war. Over the past decade, the Houthis have cemented control of the country's north, effectively dividing Yemen into two states. The group now appears to be looking to consolidate control over Yemen and its oil resources, believing it has little left to lose after years of political stalemate since the ceasefire. The Houthis have also clashed with Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, extending the conflict beyond Yemen's borders.