At least 40 government soldiers were killed in a Houthi missile attack on a military base in southern Yemen on Sunday, according to a spokesman for Yemen’s southern forces.

Mohamed al-Naqeeb said three ballistic missiles struck the al-Anad base in the southern Lahij province as a group of soldiers were holding exercises.

Over 60 soldiers were also injured in the attack, some of them critically, he added.

There was no comment from the Houthi group on the attack.

Al-Anad, 60 kilometers (37.3 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 Iran-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./aa