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Shell from Yemen kills four in Saudi Arabia

August 1, 2016

A cross-border missile has struck a family home in the Saudi town of Samtah, near Yemen, officials said. The deadly attack follows a clash between Saudi border guards and Yemen "militias" that left seven guards dead.

https://p.dw.com/p/1JZll
Saudi Arabien Grenze Jemen Saudische Armee Bodentruppen Soldat
Saudi troops have repeatedly fought off incursions from YemenImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Jamali,

Four people were killed and three more injured when an artillery shot hit the house early on Monday in the border region of Jazan, civil defense of Saudi Arabia said. A woman and a child were among the casualties.

The shell came from an area in Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels. Saudi Arabia has been leading an air campaign against the rebels in support of the internationally recognized government.

On Sunday, seven Saudi border guards were killed while fighting off Yemen "militias" who tried to enter the kingdom, military sources said. Saudi troops allegedly killed dozens of the Houthi insurgents.

Cross-border fire has so far killed over 100 Saudis, both soldiers and civilians.

Karte Saudi Arabien Jizan Englisch

Proxy war

The fighting in Yemen began in March last year, with Shiite rebels taking over the capital of Sanaa and eventually forcing president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to seek refuge in Saudi Arabia. He has since managed to return to Yemen. His troops have failed to reclaim the capital city, however, despite the air support from the Saudi-led coalition.

The Houthi movement is believed to be backed by Saudi's archrival, the Shiite-dominated Iran.

The UN estimates that over 9,000 people have died in the conflict. Additionally, the war put millions on the brink of starvation in the poorest Arab country. Al Qaeda militants also used the power vacuum to seize a part of the Yemen's territory.

The main warring parties have been negotiating in Kuwait since April. On Sunday, rebels rejected a UN proposal to end the fighting, calling a document a "media stunt."

dj/kms (AP, Reuters)