DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Drone attack by Yemen Houthi rebels Bahraini military command said it had killed a Bahraini officer and a soldier who were patrolling Saudi Arabia’s southern border early Monday morning. The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge carrying out the attack, as efforts continue to reach a peace agreement between Riyadh and the rebels.
A military statement carried by the state-run Bahrain News Agency said “a number” of Bahraini soldiers were also injured in the airstrike, without elaborating.
“This terrorist attack was carried out by the Houthis, who launched an aircraft targeting Bahraini Guard positions on the southern border of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, despite the suspension of military operations between the warring sides in Yemen. sent,” the statement said. The scene of the attack has not been identified.
Bahrain then repatriated the body to the island kingdom, where it was greeted by an honor guard and military leaders.
small island country bahrain It is a close ally of Saudi Arabia and has led the war against the Houthis. The worst attack to hit Bahrain in the conflict so far was Houthi missile attack in Marib in September 2015 Five soldiers were killed in the incident, along with 52 Emirati and 10 Saudi military personnel.
A ceasefire has largely halted the violence, and the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis appear to have moved closer to a peace deal in recent months.
It is unclear whether the attack will derail efforts by Saudi Arabia and its allies.
In a statement from Riyadh, the Saudi-led military coalition mourned the dead and blamed attacks by “some Houthis” on electricity distribution facilities and police stations on the southern border.
“In line with the active efforts being made to end the crisis and reach a comprehensive political solution, the coalition leadership affirms its rejection of repeated provocations and, at the appropriate time, We reserve the right to respond at your location.” Brig.-Gen. General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement.
Yemen’s war began in 2014 when the Houthis cleared their strongholds in the north and captured the capital Sanaa and much of the north. In response, a Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government to power.
The fighting quickly escalated into a deadlocked proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. widespread hunger and misery Even before the conflict, Yemen was the poorest country in the Arab world. The war killed more than 150,000 people, including combatants and civilians, and caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia and Iran restored diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by China, further raising hopes for an end to the conflict in Yemen. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia welcomed a Houthi delegation to peace talks, saying they were progressing well. “Positive results were obtained.””
A U.N.-brokered ceasefire has already largely halted violence, and Yemen has seen only sporadic clashes since it expired about a year ago. But diplomats warn: The situation remains unstable.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government condemned the attack. Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak said he spoke by phone with Bahrain’s chief diplomat Abdullatif Al Zayani and expressed his condolences and solidarity with Bahrain.
Bahrain, an island nation in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia, was rocked in 2011 by riots inspired by Arab Spring protests elsewhere in the region. Many in the country’s Shia majority called for the overthrow of Bahrain’s Sunni monarchy. Bahrain put down the rebellion with help from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, blaming Shiite-majority Iran for much of the violence.