Yemen’s Houthis claim to take positions in Saudi Arabia

Yemen’s Houthi rebel group on Wednesday claimed to have captured 20 military positions inside Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Najran province, reports Anadolu Agency.

Speaking to Yemen’s SABA news agency, Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarei said the sites were captured in a “surprise” offensive carried out over the last 72 hours.

Earlier Wednesday, the Houthi-run Al-Masirah television channel reported that Houthi fighters had launched multiple attacks on several Saudi military positions in Najran, which is located adjacent to the Yemeni border.

According to Sarei, Houthi fighters overwhelmed the positions in a “surprise attack carried out along three separate axes”.

The spokesman went on to assert that more than 200 personnel affiliated with a Saudi-led military coalition had been killed or wounded, while numerous others were captured along with large quantities of military equipment.

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“We have extensive video footage of the operation which will be broadcast later,” Sarei was quoted as saying.

Anadolu Agency was unable to obtain immediate comment from the Saudi authorities or the Saudi-led coalition regarding the rebel group’s claims.

Yemen has been wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

Saudi quagmire in Yemen – Cartoon [Carlos Latuff/MiddleEastMonitor]