Riyadh: Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz has reiterated the kingdom's determination to deter any aggression on its soil.
"Saudi Arabia, with the help of the Almighty Allah, is strong, capable to deter any aggressors and foil their trickeries," he said.
The monarch made these remarks during his meeting with Kuwait's First Deputy Premier and Minister of Defence Shaikh Jaber Bin Mubarak Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who pledged full support of his government and the country to the kingdom.
Shaikh Jaber handed a message from Kuwait Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah to King Abdullah.
Meanwhile, Saudi security sources said scores of Al Houthi rebels were arrested during the ongoing combing operation on border regions.
They were nabbed at their hideouts in the border villages or while attempting to infiltrate the kingdom across the borders, they said.
Speaking to Gulf News, a military source said that Saudi fighters continued pounding rebel positions along the border after evacuating all the people from the border villages.
The source, who requested anonymity, drew attention to the directive made by Prince Khalid Bin Sultan, deputy minister of defence and aviation general inspector of military affairs, to Saudi soldiers not to enter Yemeni territories and that Al Houthi prisoners of war shall be treated gently in line with the guidelines of shariah.
250 prisoners
According to informed sources, the number of Al Houthi prisoners of war exceeded 250 and they had been moved to a special military camp.
Saudi television showed pictures of some of them. It is expected that Saudi television would telecast confessions of Al Houthi prisoners of war within the coming few days.
"Their disclosures would contain factors that led to their infiltration and directives given to them by their leaders besides revealing identity of their commanders," the source said.
Saudi security forces foiled several infiltration attempts by Al Houthi teenagers with individual suicide missions in recent days.
Prince Khalid returned to Riyadh after an extensive tour of the border frontline during the last few days. During the visit, the minister announced that those who enter the area extending from the border for more than ten kilometres will be in a killing zone. "In [other] words they have to either surrender or face destruction," he warned.
"There is a clear instruction from King Abdullah, our commander in chief, that we should not step even an inch into another country and we should not allow anybody to encroach even an inch of our territory," he said.
The Saudi authorities have completed evacuation of villagers from Al Khoba region as a whole after declaring Khoba a restricted conflict zone.
"Only military personnel and the concerned officials are allowed to enter the region. The villagers have been evacuated to shelters in regions away from the border. Jizan business community has secured the camps with food, water, furniture and clothes," the sources said.
Meanwhile, Hassan Mohammad Mana'a, governor of the northern Yemeni region of Sa'ada, accused Iran of aiding and abetting Al Houthi insurgency.
"Al Houthis were receiving training about war strategies, fighting methods and military tactics at undisclosed destinations within the Iranian soil. Iranian intelligence and the Revolutionary Guard are behind this," he said.
Speaking to Okaz daily, he said rebels who are engaged in fighting the government forces in Sa'ada do not exceed 600.
