30 killed in strikes on Yemeni air base

SANAA, Yemen－A missile and drone attack on Yemen's largest air base on Sunday killed at least 30 pro-government troops, said a Yemeni military spokesman. It was one of the deadliest attacks during the country's civil war in recent years.

Mohammed al-Naqib, a spokesman for Yemen's southern forces, told The Associated Press that the attack on Al-Anad Air Base in the southern province of Lahj wounded at least 65. He said the casualties could rise as rescue teams are still clearing the site.

Graphic footage from the scene showed several charred bodies on the ground with ambulance sirens blaring in the background.

Yemeni officials said at least three explosions took place at the air base, which is held by the internationally recognized government. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Yemen has been embroiled in a war since 2014, when Houthi rebels swept across much of the north and seized the capital Sanaa, forcing the widely recognized government into exile. The Saudi-led coalition entered the war the following year on the side of the government.

The victims belong to the pro-government Giants Brigades, which are backed by the United Arab Emirates. The unit said in a statement that the attack involved a number of ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones.

A ballistic missile landed in the base's training area, where dozens of soldiers were doing morning exercises, officials said. Medics described a chaotic scene following the explosions, with soldiers carrying their wounded colleagues to safety, fearing another attack.

Nasser Saeed is a soldier that survived the attack. He was taken along with other wounded soldiers to the Naqib hospital in Aden, nearly 60 kilometers away. He said a barracks that housed over 50 troops had been hit by missiles, then explosives-laden drones.

"We were able to shoot down one (drone)," he said. "Many were killed and wounded."

Houthis blamed

Most of the wounded were taken to the nearby Ibn Khaldun hospital, where health officials said many of the wounded were in critical condition and suffered third degree burns.

Officials blamed the Houthis for the attack on the base, once the site of US intelligence operations against al-Qaida's powerful Yemeni affiliate. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi expressed condolences over the deaths and vowed that the Houthis will pay heavily, reported state news agency Saba.

But the military spokesman for the Houthis did not confirm or deny the attack.

The Iranian-backed rebels also launched a missile attack on the airport in the southern city of Aden in December as government officials arrived. That attack killed at least 26 people and wounded 110 others.

The Houthis had seized the Al-Anad base in the months after their 2014 takeover of Sanaa, before government forces reclaimed it in August 2015.

Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Iryani said the attack would undermine international efforts to establish a cease-fire.

Around 80 percent of Yemen's population of 30 million are dependent on some form of aid for survival.

The stalemated conflict in Yemen has killed more than 130,000 people and spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Sunday's attack came as the Houthi rebels face stiff resistance and suffered heavy losses in their monthslong attempt to take the crucial city of Marib from the government. Thousands of fighters, mostly from the Houthis, were killed in recent months in Marib.

With the United Nations pushing for an end to the war, the Houthis have demanded the reopening of Sanaa airport, closed under a Saudi blockade since 2016, before any cease-fire or negotiations.

Agencies Via Xinhua