Special to WorldTribune.com

A Saudi special forces commander and his UAE counterpart were among the dead in the attack which targeted coalition forces near the southwestern city of Taiz.

A Saudi-led coalition command center in Yemen was hit by a missile attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Dec. 14.

News reports said the troops were in the Dhubab area of Taiz near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The missile fired by the Houthi rebels was identified as a Russian-built Tochka (NATO codename Scarab). The guided missile has a range of 43 to 115 miles and can be targeted on a specific location where its fragmentation warhead can do the most damage.

The Dec. 14 missile strike was the deadliest such attack on Saudi-led coalition forces since September, when a Tochka missile killed 45 Emirati troops and several from Bahrain. Despite near-daily air strikes on Houthi targets, the rebels have managed to hide their missiles or have been resupplied with them despite a UN embargo.

Analysts said the attack could threaten U.S.-led diplomatic efforts at a ceasefire.

  Missile strike by Iran-backed Houthis hits Saudi coalition command center, Taiz, Tochka missile, WorldTribune.com