Seven Saudi Soldiers Killed in Clashes with Houthis at Yemen Border

The Saudi-led coalition reports that at least one officer and six Saudi soldiers were killed in clashes with Houthi rebels and supporters of Ali Abdullah Saleh at the Yemen border. The coalition had previously reported the death of at least five Saudi border guards last Monday. The coalition claims that 'dozens of rebels' were also killed in the clashes on August 9, although no exact figures for Houthi and Saleh loyalist casualties have been released. According to a statement from the coalition, armed individuals attempted to 'infiltrate' the border and engaged with Saudi forces. The southern borders of Saudi Arabia, adjacent to Yemen, have been the scene of clashes since March 2015, when the Arab coalition began airstrikes to restore Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi to power. Reports indicate that at least 100 Saudi military personnel and civilians have been killed in artillery attacks on border areas or landmine explosions during this time. More than six thousand people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Yemen since the onset of airstrikes. The United Nations recently held negotiations in Kuwait aimed at achieving peace in the violence and battles in Yemen between supporters of President Hadi and the Houthi rebels and supporters of Ali Abdullah Saleh. These negotiations were halted last week after the Houthis announced the formation of a coalition with Saleh's forces to govern the country, leading Hadi's deputy to declare that 'peace talks are completely over.' Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN envoy for Yemen, described the coalition's formation as a 'violation' of UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which calls for the Houthis and their allies to lay down their arms and withdraw from seized cities, while also urging rebels to refrain from actions that threaten the political transition in the country. Despite this, Kuwait announced on August 9 that peace talks have been extended for another week. The Houthi rebels are supported by Iran, while Hadi's government is backed by Saudi Arabia.