Saudi army retakes border area from rebels

Saudi Arabia says it has seized back a border zone captured by Yemeni rebels in an incursion last week.

The announcement by the Saudi government comes after days of fighting during which three of its soldiers were killed and four others went missing.

The governor of the region bordering Yemen, Prince Khaled said: “There will be meetings between the two countries at all levels and we will be there. There must be a renewal of co-ordination in order to protect the two sides.”

Anxious about instability, the world’s top oil exporter has become increasingly entangled in Yemen, which is facing an insurgency in the north, separatist sentiment in the south and a growing threat from al Qaeda fighters.

Saudi war planes have been launching airstrikes against rebel strongholds along the border with Northern Yemen as part of a military offensive which is reportedly still in progress.

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tags: Military, Saudi Arabia, Yemen