Dozens of Saudi soldiers, mercenaries slain in Yemeni missile strike

Dozens of Saudi troopers and Saudi-sponsored militiamen loyal to Yemen's former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi have been killed and injured when Yemeni army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Committees launched an offensive against their positions in the kingdom’s southwestern region of Najran.

The spokesman for Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said Yemeni soldiers and allied fighters launched a newly-developed Nakal (Retribution) missile at the strongholds of Saudi soldiers and their mercenaries in al-Sadis area of the region, located 844 kilometers (524 miles) south of the Saudi capital Riyadh, on Sunday afternoon, leaving dozens of them killed and injured, Arabic-language al-Masirah television network reported.

Saree added that the missile strike was carried out following a delicate intelligence operation.

The high-ranking military official noted that Saudi forces and their mercenaries were preparing to launch an assault on the positions of Yemeni army and Popular Committees near the border.

On August 19, Yemeni army troops, backed by fighters from allied Popular Committees, targeted a military parade and gatherings of the Riyadh regime's mercenaries in Yemen’s central province of Ma'rib with the same domestically-manufactured missile.

PressTV-New Yemeni missile hits pro-Saudi military parade

Yemeni forces have hit a Saudi-led military parade and gathering of mercenaries in Ma'rib province with new missile.

Also on Sunday, a number of Saudi-paid militiamen were killed after they failed to infiltrate into the positions of Yemeni army and allied fighters off Jabal al-Qais mountainous area in the kingdom's Jizan region.

A Yemeni military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said Yemeni troopers and Popular Committees fighters have carried out an offensive against Saudi mercenaries in al-Ajashar desert of Saudi Arabia's Najran region.

The source added that several Saudi-backed militiamen were killed and injured in the process, and one of their positions besides an arms depot were destroyed.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing the Ansarullah movement.

The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has claimed over 70,000 lives since January 2016.

The war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.

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