Rebel fire from Yemen kills Saudi soldier

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RIYADH: Cross-border rebel fire from Yemen has killed a soldier in Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition fighting the insurgents in its war-torn neighbour, the interior ministry said.

The soldier was killed on Saturday in the southern border area of Jazan as an army post came under a barrage of gunfire and shelling from the Huthi rebels in northern Yemen, state news agency SPA quoted a ministry spokesman as saying.

At least 110 civilians and soldiers have been killed in southern Saudi Arabia by rocket strikes or skirmishes since the coalition began operations in Yemen in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi’s government.

The Saudi-led alliance started air strikes in Yemen in March 2015 after the Huthis overran the capital Sanaa and moved on to other parts of the country.

The Yemen conflict has killed around 7,000 people since the coalition intervened, according to the United Nations.