Saudi fighter jets target rebels in Yemen

Saudi Arabian warplanes attacked Shiite rebel strongholds inside northern Yemen yesterday in a surge of fighting along the border following the death of a Saudi security official at the hands of insurgents, according to news reports.

Saudi fighter jets targeted up to six rebel positions inside Yemen and along the mountainous border. Saudi troops were reportedly heading toward the region to secure villages and prevent further cross-border incursions from Houthi rebel forces that have been battling the Yemen government sporadically since 2004.

As of late Wednesday afternoon, Saudi airstrikes "began on their (rebel) positions in northern Yemen," an adviser to the Saudi government, who asked not to be named because operations were still under way, told Reuters. "There have been successive airstrikes, very heavy bombardment of their positions, not just on the border but on" rebel camps around the northern city of Saada.

The Yemeni government has not released its version of the Saudi offensive, but Al-Jazeera quoted a Defense Ministry official as saying: "Saudi Arabia did not hit targets in Yemen."

The prospect of violence spilling over from its southern neighbor has troubled the kingdom for years. Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world, is attracting militants from al-Qaida who are seeking to overthrow the government and launch attacks across the Middle East, according to U.S. officials. The Saudis fear al-Qaida elements will exploit Yemen's instability, infiltrating the kingdom to attack government targets and oil installations.

In August, a Saudi militant living in Yemen traveled to the kingdom and, armed with hidden explosives, blew himself up at a palace reception. The attack lightly wounded Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, a member of the Saudi royal family and the country's top counterterrorism official. On Tuesday, militants believed to be linked to al-Qaida ambushed and killed two Yemeni police chiefs and three guards.