Saudi soldier killed in shootout on Yemen's border

A shootout with gunmen on Saudi Arabia's restive southern border with Yemen killed one soldier and wounded 11 others, the state-owned Saudi news agency reported Wednesday.

SPA quoted a Saudi security official as saying the unidentified gunmen infiltrated from Yemen and attacked security guards patrolling the Mount Dokhan border area on Tuesday.

The report coincided with a claim Tuesday by Yemeni Shiite rebels battling government troops in Yemen's rebellious province of Saada, along the Saudi border. The rebels said they were attacked by Yemeni soldiers coming from Saudi Arabia in Mount Dokhan.

Yemen has been embroiled in an on-and-off conflict for the past five years with Shiite rebels in Saada. The rebels complain of being neglected and marginalized by the authorities. Yemeni officials claim Iran is abetting the uprising, and neighboring Saudi Arabia is concerned over the conflict along its southern boundary.

If confirmed, the shootout would mark the first confirmed confrontation between Shiite rebels and Saudi soldiers since the new round of fighting between Yemeni army and the Shiite rebels, known as the Hawthis, flared up anew in August.

A statement from the rebels warned the kingdom, which has been concerned over the recent border violence, against allowing Yemen's military to launch attacks from Saudi territory.

"We warn the Saudi regime to be neutral and not allow the Yemeni army to use its territory for aggression against us," the rebel statement said. "Otherwise we will be obliged to confront any aggression coming from any side used by the Yemeni army."

Fighting continued Wednesday in Saada, with the rebels claiming they seized the entire Mount Dokhan area. Their claims could not be independently verified since access to the remote Saada, where the fighting has displaced tens of thousands and cut off aid shipments, is heavily restricted.