Two officers from Bahrain were killed and members of the Arab coalition injured during a drone attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in southern Saudi Arabia, coalition spokesman Brig Gen Turki Al Malki said on Monday.
"As the leadership of the joint forces of the coalition mourns the heroic martyrs loyal to their religion and nation, it extends its deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to the families of the heroic martyrs," Brig Gen Al Malki said in a statement issued to the Saudi Press Agency.
The leadership of the joint forces of the coalition condemned the treacherous attack near the Saudi-Yemen border by some Houthi elements, Brig Gen Al Malki said.
He called it a treacherous act and said hostilities during the past month, including an attack on an electrical power distribution station and a police station in the border region, were "unacceptable" and "provocative".
Brig Gen Al Malki said that in line with the positive efforts being made to seek an end to the crisis and reach a comprehensive political solution, the joint forces of the coalition affirm their rejection of repeated provocations and reserve the right to respond at the appropriate time and place.
Saudi-funded project to remove landmines in Yemen – in pictures
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Yemen has been swamped by severe humanitarian problems, which have been made worse by dangers of landmines. All photos: Masam -
The country has already been ravaged by poverty, war and economic collapse and to compound matters, landmines have been laid across much of the nation in a series of conflicts and uprisings. -
The explosives have been used extensively by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels as part of the civil war that began in 2014. -
But efforts are under way to demine Yemen, including by the Yemeni authorities and the Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance (Masam). -
The demining campaign was launched by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre. -
Since 2018, Masam has been removing mines, improvised explosive devices and unexploded ordnance. -
Ousama Algosaibi, Masam’s managing director, says the task is mammoth because the number of explosive devices laid in Yemen is 'mind-boggling'. -
Mr Algosaibi says landmines have been found in villages, on agricultural land, in children’s schools and on roads leading to villages. -
Mr Algosaibi says: ‘These are all civilian areas that are now very far from any active front. I don’t understand the reason they have planted those areas with mines and IEDs.’ -
'What is the use of planting IEDs under the floor of a children’s school?' he says. 'It just doesn’t make sense.' -
'Houthis want to use that as ... a terror tool against the local population, against the local civilians' Mr Algosaibi suggests. -
The demining is carried out by 32 teams of Yemenis, who have been through comprehensive training. -
Residents may pinpoint a location where a mine cost a relative a leg or killed an animal, and operatives can often then work out the line in which others were laid. -
Metal detectors highlight the precise location of devices, which are typically collected and destroyed, hundreds at a time, in controlled explosions. -
Masam and other entities carrying out demining in Yemen are doing so while conflict continues to rage. -
Masam has cleared more than 32 million square metres and destroyed more than 335,000 explosives to date. -
Operating in a war zone magnifies the dangers to the staff and Masam has lost 28 personnel in 16 incidents. -
Half of these incidents happened during demining, such as when a mine or other device suddenly exploded or was booby trapped. -
The other eight were caused directly by the civil war, such as when drones targeted vehicles or camps.
The UAE has expressed its sincere condolences and solidarity with Bahrain over the deaths and injuries to its soldiers, the country's state news agency Wam reported.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attack represented a flagrant breach of international laws and norms, which requires a deterrent response.
The ministry also called on the international community to unite efforts and take a decisive stance to stop these operations and return to a political process that leads to peace, security and stability in Yemen and the region.
The ministry expressed its deepest condolences and sympathy to the government and people of Bahrain, and the families of the martyrs, and wished for a quick recovery for all of those injured.
