Yemeni Missile Unit Destroys Saudi Positions in Asir Region - Reports

The Yemeni military targeted Saudi Arabia's army and mercenaries at the Ain al-Thwareen base in Asir area in response to the latest Saudi missile launch that hit Yemen and resulted in an unknown number of casualties, Yemen's al-Masirah broadcaster reported on Sunday.

On Saturday, Yemen fired a Zalzal 2 rocket, which destroyed Saudi Arabia's military positions in the country's southern region of Asir, according to the media.

The broadcaster also reported that two Saudi servicemen had been killed by Yemeni snipers at the Haskul military base in Jizan, a Saudi region bordering the attacked Asir area.

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In the meantime, Saudi war planes conducted a string of airstrikes against the Yemeni governorates of Saada, Al Hudaydah and Hajjah held by the Houthi rebels. According to al-Masirah, the Saudi attacks claimed lives of at least seven civilians.

Houthi missile launches at Saudi Arabia have intensified following the deaths of several rebel leaders as a result of a Saudi-led coalition attack.

The Saudi-led coalition, consisting mostly of Persian Gulf countries, has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthi movement since March 2015, when the rebels conducted a takeover in the country, which resulted in President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi fleeing Sanaa, Yemen's capital. The Houthis, allied with ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh, clashed with Hadi's forces, with each side claiming to be the official government.

The coalition led by Saudi Arabia denounced the Houthi takeover as unconstitutional and since then has been attempting to restore the government of Hadi.

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The military conflict in Yemen has further escalated since November 2017 when Saudi Arabia accused Iran of supplying the Houthi rebels with ballistic missiles and imposed a blockade on Yemen in order to prevent the transfer of military goods to the Houthis. While Tehran has made no secret of its political support for the Shiite movement, it has repeatedly denied rumors of arming the Yemeni rebels.

While Riyadh has insisted that the closure of Yemen's ground, air and sea ports by the Saudi-led coalition forces would not interfere with food deliveries to the country, the UN said that the blockade distorted the supply of humanitarian aid, which along with the destruction of the country's infrastructure, as a result of the fighting, has led to a massive famine.