Toll from Houthi missile strike on a Yemen army camp rises to 73, with recruits as young as eight

From the Newshound archive · first published 20 October 2026.

Most of the new recruits at the al-Alam camp in Shabwa province were aged between eight and 20, and many remain missing, according to governor Awad Ibn al-Wazir. More than 200 people were injured in Monday's strike. It is now the deadliest attack since fighting reignited this year. "This had nothing to do with front lines," al-Wazir said. "They had not attacked anyone."

The Houthis say they were hitting Saudi military infrastructure and warned others against joining up.

Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, called the strike criminal and vowed to respond.

Army spokesman Col Majed al-Nuzaili said three ballistic missiles hit the desert camp.