RIYADH (AA) – A Saudi soldier was killed in clashes with Shia Houthi rebels near the Yemeni border, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Thursday.
According to the news agency, Prince Khalid bin Abdul Aziz bin Ayyaf, minister of the Saudi National Guard, has conveyed King Salman’s condolences to the slain soldier’s family in a Thursday phone call.
Saudi Arabia is the leader of a military coalition drawn up to fight the Houthi rebel group, which overran much of Yemen — including capital Sanaa — in 2014.
Riyadh accuses the rebel group of acting as a proxy force for Shia Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch-foe in the region.
