Seven Saudi Soldiers Killed in Houthi Attack Near Yemen Border - Reports

The Saudi-led coalition intervening in Yemen's civil war has lost seven service personnel during a Houthi rebel attack, local media said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The personnel, including one officer, died when Houthi rebels and forces loyal to the country’s ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh tried crossing the Yemeni-Saudi Arabian border, the Al Ekhbariya channel reported on Saturday, citing the coalition's command.

Earlier, coalition forces carried out airstrikes against Houthis near the southern Saudi town of Najran, killing several dozen rebels when they tried crossing the border into Saudi Arabia.

Since 2014, Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between forces loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthis, also known as the Ansar Allah movement, which is the country’s main opposition force.

Since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request despite a ceasefire agreed in April.

UN-brokered talks to end the Yemeni conflict started in Kuwait on April 21. On July 20, the Kuwaiti government gave the warring sides 15 days to settle the crisis before it would stop hosting the talks.