The fatal blasts reportedly occurred as a result of a malfunction during the conveyance and installation of ballistic missiles at the al-Hafa base.
Six Iranian and Lebanese rocket scientists, along with dozens of Houthi militia members were killed in two blasts in a military camp near Sana’a, Yemen on Monday, Arab media reported.
The fatal blasts reportedly occurred as a result of a malfunction during the conveyance and installation of ballistic missiles at al-Hafa base, which includes a weapons manufacturing site.
Following the blasts, the pro-Iranian militia blocked off all entrances to the Houthi camp, located east of the Yemeni capital of Sana’a.
Truce in Yemen is still in effect
The incident comes amid an UN-brokered truce in war-torn Yemen between the Houthi militia and a coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which was renewed for a further two months last week.
The UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, pushed for a six-month truce with additional measures. However, both sides have had grievances about the implementation of the existing truce deal and mistrust runs deep.
Earlier today, Yemen’s internationally recognized government accused the Houthi movement of not abiding by a key element in the truce to reopen roads to the besieged city of Taiz.
The militia is “running away” from its commitments, Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak said.
Saudi Arabia has been trying to exit a costly war that has been a point of tension with the Biden administration, which halted support for offensive coalition operations. The conflict is widely seen as a proxy war between Riyadh and Tehran.
Reuters contributed to this report.