Yemeni Houthis Fire Rockets into Saudi Arabia
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Yemeni Houthis fired rockets and mortars into Saudi Arabia and reportedly captured five soldiers in an attack showing their ability to launch assaults despite weeks of bombings by Saudi-led coalition.
Saudi authorities said that the armed Houthi fighters carried out the attacks on Tuesday in the town of Najran, forcing authorities to suspend all flights at a local airport, and shut down all schools.
In a statement, Saudi Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri said that Saudi-led coalition forces continue to respond to the Houthi attack.
Yemeni tribal leaders told the Associated Press news agency that armed Houthis, shelled the border area from inside Yemen. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
The border area has been a flashpoint for Saudi-Houthi clashes amid a Saudi-led coalition's air campaign targeting the fighters in Yemen.
"This is a major development in this war," Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall, who is reporting from the Saudi capital Riyadh, said.
"Up until now we have seen attacks on soldiers near the border, but not in the city itself."
He said the latest attack complicates the work of the Saudi military, who now faces the challenge of securing the border, while carrying out air strikes inside Yemen.
