Turkey voices deep sorrow over deadly rebel attack on Yemen military base

ANKARA

Turkey on Sunday expressed “deep sorrow” for a ballistic missile that struck southern Yemen, killing at least 40 soldiers and injuring dozens.

Turkey extends its condolences to the “friendly people and Government of Yemen and to the families of those who lost their lives” while wishing the injured a speedy recovery, said a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement.

All parties should realize that the years-long civil war in Yemen can only be resolved through peaceful means and that continuing the conflict will do nothing but deepen the humanitarian crisis faced by the Yemeni people, it added.

Turkey believes that a comprehensive nationwide cease-fire should be declared as soon as possible and a political solution should be focused based on the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative, resolutions of the National Dialogue Conference, and UN Security Council resolutions.

At least 40 government soldiers were killed and 60 injured in a Houthi missile attack on al-Anad base in the southern Lahij province.

Al-Anad, 60 kilometers (37.2 miles) north of the southern city of Aden, is one of the largest military bases in Yemen.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the conflict has claimed more than 233,000 lives.