80 soldiers dead in missile attack in Yemen.

Yemeni soldiers near an impact crater. BBC/Getty. 

A missile attack in Yemen has killed at least 80 soldiers. BBC. Dozens more were wounded in the strike, which was likely launched by the Iranian backed Houthi rebels. The attack hit a mosque while soldiers were worshiping and the death toll is expected to rise. The Houthi rebels are surprisingly well equipped and have access to heavy weapons, including ballistic missiles. The conflict in Yemen has been seen as a proxy fight between Iran and the gulf states, most notably Saudi Arabia. 

My Comment:

Another day another attack in Yemen. This story is largely notable due to the large number of casualties the Yemeni troops suffered. At least 80 dead people is going to be a story regardless of the circumstances. Even though the world is largely ignoring the Yemen conflict it's hard to ignore that many bodies. 

From what it sounds like the Houthis got a "lucky" hit on a group of Yemeni soldiers. They were all gathered in a Mosque and the missile(s) managed to hit them dead on. Given the circumstances it is not at all surprising that the casualties are in the triple digits. 

It's unclear what kind of missiles the Houthis were using. I do know that the Houthis have access to Iranian Burkan-2H missiles, which are part of the Scud missile family. These weapons are no joke and can cause a very large amount of damage, though accuracy is a major concern. I think it these weapons were used than it was just bad luck that they managed to hit a mosque. 

As for Yemen itself, the war there rages on, largely unnoticed by the rest of the world. It's a major mess there with various factions fighting each other and both Iran and Saudi Arabia backing different sides of the conflict. The war shows no sings of ending anytime soon either. 

There is some positive news though. It seems as though both al-Qaeda and ISIS have largely been defeated in Yemen. I know in the past al-Qaeda's Yemeni affiliate controlled quite a bit of territory there and used the country to launch attacks on Europe, most notably the Charlie Hebdo attacks in France. Both terror groups are a lot less prominent now. Both groups still control some territory there but they don't seem to be in a position to attack anywhere else.