Riyadh: Saudi Arabia said three of its soldiers and dozens of Yemen’s Al Houthis were killed in clashes after the militia carried out an attack along the Saudi-Yemen border.
The attack late Thursday and the failed incursion into Saudi Arabia by Al Houthis, is the latest such incident since the Saudi-led coalition began carrying out airstrikes inside Yemen more than a month ago. The kingdom’s Defence Ministry did not say if and how far into the area of Najran the Al Houthis advanced before they were repelled by Saudi forces.
Along the Saudi border, a group of Al Houthi militia attacked “border posts and control points” in the southern Saudi region of Najran, the kingdom’s Defence Ministry said. Saudi forces, backed by fighter jets, repelled the attack and “dozens of the militiamen were killed. Three soldiers of the ground troops were martyred,” according to the statement.
The statement described it as an attack “against the legitimacy” of the border, without clarifying on what side of the boundary the fighting took place.
The Saudi-led offensive in Yemen aims to diminish the capabilities of the Iran-allied Al Houthis who have overrun the capital, Sana’a, and are advancing deep into southern Yemen.
Overnight Saudi airstrikes in Sana’a targeted the positions of Al Houthis and their allies.
At least 11 Saudi soldiers have been killed in similar border clashes with the Al Houthis since the kingdom launched airstrikes against the rebels inside Yemen on March 26.
On Thursday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said more than 1,200 people have been killed and that the country’s health, water, and telecommunications system are “on the brink of collapse.” Ban appealed for an immediate ceasefire, or at least humanitarian pauses.
Yesterday, the Security Council was set to hold an emergency meeting on Yemen.
The UN and Red Cross warned fuel shortages are threatening to halt relief operations in Yemen and urged warring sides to spare hospitals.
The latest Saudi strikes and clashes on the ground killed 47 people in second city Aden, where the Red Cross also scrambled to evacuate staff and patients from a hospital when it became a front line.
And after a meeting in Riyadh, Gulf foreign ministers rejected any moves to hold peace talks between Yemeni rivals at a neutral venue, as sought by Saudi Arabia’s arch foe Iran.
