The rebels claim Saudi planes have bombed Yemeni villages Saudi Arabia has insisted its forces only attacked Yemeni rebel positions on Saudi territory, according to the state news agency. This directly contradicts a number of separate reports on Thursday that air strikes had taken place on on rebel strongholds in northern Yemen. The government said it would continue fighting to drive out all the rebels who had infiltrated across the border. The rebels say that Saudi airplanes are bombing northern Yemeni villages. A spokesman for the rebels, who are known as Houthis, alleged on Thursday that a Saudi air strike hit a market in Saada in north Yemen, killing a group of civilians. The Saudi government has said that its conflict with the rebels began when a Saudi border official was killed and rebels later captured an area of mountainous territory in the Saudi province of Jizan. The rebels had claimed there were minor clashes with Saudi forces along the border before then. Intense fighting The Houthis have been engaged in an intense wave of fighting with the Yemeni army since the government launched a major new offensive in August 2009. They have long alleged that Saudi Arabia has been giving support to the Yemeni regime, a claim both governments denied, but in recent weeks Saudi forces have been overtly drawn into the fighting. The Houthis, named after the family of their leader, say they want greater autonomy and a greater role for their version of Shia Islam. They complain that their community is discriminated against. The Yemeni government accuses the rebels of wanting to re-establish Zaidi Shia clerical rule, and of receiving support from Iran. The Zaidi Shia community are a minority in Yemen, but make up the majority in the north of the country. The insurgents first took up arms against the government in 2004, after which government forces killed or captured much of the Houthi leadership. Aid agencies say tens of thousands of people have been displaced in the latest round of fighting.
Bookmark with: Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version
Royal Saudi air force F-15 used in attacks
Saudi Arabian military forces have continued their five-day attack against Yemeni rebels, leaving seven Saudis and an unknown number of Yemeni dead, according to the state news agency. The military has stated that only rebel forces on Saudi soil have been attacked, in contradiction with previous reports. Rebels have claimed that the military have targeted Yemeni villages.

An official at Samtah's district hospital listed seven Saudis, of which four women civilians, as dead and 126 wounded since fighting began. He said Friday had been the "heaviest day" for casualties since Tuesday, leaving two soldiers dead and many wounded. According to Saudi media, rebel shelling killed the women, who were all from the same family.

According to the Saudi government the fighting began when rebels killed a Saudi border official and wounded eleven, going on to capture an area in the province of Jizan, though rebels say that border clashes had started earlier. The latest attacks took place after rebels disguised as women entered Saudi border villages on Friday night.

Rebels claim that Saudi ground troops have entered Yemeni territory, and that they have captured soldiers. They stated on their website that "with Allah's help, the Saudi tyrannical advance into Yemen's territory has been defeated ... A number of its troops have been captured and several military vehicles and supplies been seized."

The Saudi government responded that the airstrikes were on Saudi border territory to repel the rebels, although on Thursday a Saudi government adviser informed reporters that jets had bombed rebel camps within Yemen with the Yemeni government's blessing.

Relief agencies are concerned about providing aid to the tens of thousands displaced since the latest offensive started on August 11.