The Royal Saudi Army has been assigned responsibility for the border
fence, the sources said. They said the initial stage stipulated a barbed
wire barrier in areas used by Shi'ite rebels to enter Saudi Arabia,
particularly along Mount Doud and Mount Dukhan.
In 2009, the Interior Ministry oversaw a project to begin installing an
advanced security network along the border with Yemen, Middle East Newsline reported. But the sources said
infiltrators have largely avoided areas of the border that contain the
electronic fence, developed by prime contractor EADS.
The sources said EADS and other Western contractors were helping the
latest Saudi border effort. They said EADS was installing infrared sensors
and cameras along numerous points of the Saudi-Yemeni border.
"The problem is that most of the infiltration takes place at night in
rugged terrain, where they evade our forces," the source said.
The Saudi Army has also reinforced its presence along the Yemeni border.
The sources said M1A2 main battle tanks, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles,
Piranha LAV-25 armored vehicles, AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters
were helping patrol the border and battle Shi'ite rebels.
On Dec. 13, the Saudi military launched an offensive against the
Iranian-backed Believing Youth along the Yemeni border. The sources said the
offensive was meant to drive out Shi'ite rebels from the Saudi village of Al
Jabiri, which contains an army outpost.
