At least eight Saudi soldiers have been killed in an operation by the Yemeni army and allied forces in the kingdom’s oil-rich eastern province of al-Ahsa, media reports say.
Yemeni snipers and Popular Committees fighters carried out an ambush against Saudi soldiers positioned at the al-Tawal base in the Haradh village on Friday evening, the Yemen al-Yawm daily reported.
They also launched a barrage of missiles at military camps in the al-Khobe district of Saudi Arabia’s southwestern border region of Jizan some 966 kilometers (600 miles) south of Riyadh.
Yemeni forces further repelled an offensive by Saudi-led soldiers against Sharijah district in Yemen’s southern province of Lahij. An unspecified number of Saudi mercenaries were killed and their military vehicles destroyed during the heavy fighting.
Also on Friday, Yemeni army soldiers wrested full control over the strategic Jabal al-Shoka (Shoka Mountains) after intense battles with al-Qaeda-linked militants and militiamen loyal to fugitive former Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour in the Hayfan district of the Ta’izz province.
There are also reports that Yemeni forces killed a Saudi prince, identified as Amir Mohammad bin Mosa’ed bin Jalawi, and his comrades during an attack in the al-Hajar district of the central Yemeni province of Ma’rib.
Separately, Yemeni soldiers captured at least 48 Emirati soldiers, including nine military officers, during a series of clashes in the northern province of al-Jawf.
Yemen has been under military attacks by Saudi Arabia since late March. More than 7,500 people have been killed and over 14,000 others injured since March.
The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country’s facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools and factories.