Houthis Claim Major Attack against Saudi-led Coalition

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claim to have staged a massive raid against troops belonging to a Saudi-led coalition seeking to reinstate deposed President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. The Houthis’ al-Masirah TV reported on Sunday that according to the group’s spokesman, rebels captured “thousands” of coalition soldiers earlier this week during fighting near the border with the southern Saudi region of Narjan. The broadcasts showed damaged armored vehicles said to have been manned by the coalition, as well as what appeared to be surrendering personnel. There has been no response from Saudi Arabia regarding the Houthi claims. The fighting in Yemen has spilled over into the Saudi kingdom in recent months, mostly through drone and rocket attacks against the airport and other important sites in Narjan, but also against a major petroleum pipeline well inside the country. The Houthis also claim to have been behind the massive September 14 missile and drone attack that put a serious dent in Saudi oil production, although Riyadh, backed by Washington and several European capitals, is blaming the attack on Iran.