Saudi soldier killed near Yemen border

By Zakaria al-Kamali

SANAA (AA) - Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday the death of one of its soldiers in clashes with Houthi rebels near its southern border with Yemen.

"The dead soldier belonged to ground forces as he was killed at the southern border of Jazan, which has seen battles with Houthis for more than two years," the Saudi official news agency (SPA) reported.

Prince Mohammed bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, deputy governor of Jazan, conveyed the condolences of the Saudi leadership to the family of the slain soldier, it added.

The news agency did not mention the date and circumstances of the soldier's death.

Wednesday’s announcement brings the death toll of the Saudi army at the Yemeni borders to 39 since May 10, according to Anadolu Agency’s count, based on Saudi official sources.

The border areas between Yemen and the Saudi Kingdom have recently seen an escalation of clashes.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and shoring up Yemen’s embattled government.

According to UN officials, more than 10,000 people have been killed in the war, while more than 11 percent of the country’s population has been displaced as a direct result of the conflict.