Scores of soldiers have been killed in missile strikes on a government-backed military base in Yemen.

Between 30 and 40 soldiers were killed and at least 65 wounded in the attacks, Yemeni southern forces spokesman Mohamed al-Naqib said, adding that casualties could still rise.

Houthi rebels are said to have used armed drones and ballistic missiles to attack the Al-Anad military base, belonging to the Saudi-led coalition in southwest Yemen.

There were three explosions in the training area where dozens of troops were doing morning exercises at the time, the Associated Press reported, citing military officials.

Medics described harrowing scenes following the explosions, with soldiers carrying their wounded colleagues to safety while fearing another attack.

It was unclear if civilians were among the casualties.

Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014, when Houthi rebels swept across much of the north and seized the capital Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognised government into exile.

The following year, a Saudi-led coalition, backed by the US and the UK, entered the war on the side of the government.

The attacks came following stalled peace talks between Saudi-led forces and the Houthis.

The talks, backed by the United Nations and the United States, have yet failed to reach a compromise deal. Meanwhile, the world’s largest humanitarian crisis continues in the country.

Some 21 million people are thought to be in need of humanitarian assistance, according to UNICEF, and 2.3 million children under the age of five are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year.

A military spokesman for the Houthis did not confirm or deny the attack on the government base, although it carries the hallmarks of the Iranian-backed rebels.

The Houthis have previously launched similar attacks, including one by a bomb-laden drone on Al-Anad in January 2019, killing six troops.

Last year, Sky News uncovered evidence of a potential war crime by the Saudi-led coalition after an airstrike hit a family home in the remote village of Washah near the Yemeni-Saudi border.

It killed nine people – all women and children.

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