On Nov. 8, Sultan toured part of the 1,500-kilometer Saudi-Yemeni
border, the scene of heavy clashes over the last week, Middle East Newsline reported. He said suspicious
people found in the no-go zone would be killed.
Officials said the entire border area has been closed to civilians. They
said Believing Youth was sending Shi'ite operatives to Saudi Arabia as part
of the rebel movement's attempt to widen the war against the regime of
YemeniPresident Ali Abdullah Saleh.
"It is our duty to deal with this rash and irresponsible action and put
an end to this tragedy," Khaled said. "Our soldiers have taught the evil
aggressors a lesson they will never forget. They have fought well and
outsmarted the enemy using the latest military techniques, which the brazen
rebels did not expect."
The Royal Saudi Air Force has used its fleet of combat aircraft to
target and strike Shi'ite rebels in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Officials cited
missions by the U.S.-origin F-15 and British-origin Tornado aircraft as well
as mobile artillery units.
"There is a clear instruction from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
King Abdullah, the commander in chief, that we should not step even an inch
into another country and we should not allow anybody to encroach even an
inch into our territory," Khaled said.
Officials said the Saudi Border Guards would remain in control of the
border with Yemen. They said Riyad has not been planning to turn parts of
the border region into a military zone.
"When we understand that the border guards are enough to [protect the
area], we'll just stand by behind them," Khaled said. "However, we'll be
ready to intervene at any time."
