73 Saudis killed since fighting broke out with Yemen rebels

73 Saudis have been killed and 26 are missing since fighting broke out in November between Saudi forces and Yemeni rebels, a Saudi minister told reporters on Tuesday.

“The confrontation on the southern border” has resulted in “73 martyrs and 26 missing,” said Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan in comments broadcast on television from a media conference in Al-Khoba in southern Jizan province.

He did not specify how many of the dead and missing were soldiers.

Last month, Saudi Arabia launched a military offensive against the Shi’ite rebels, known as Houthis after their leader’s clan name, after a rebel cross-border incursion.