Bahrain’s army has accused the Houthi movement of killing two of its members in a drone attack, occurring just a week after ceasefire talks between the Yemeni group and Saudi Arabia. According to the Bahraini army, an officer and a soldier lost their lives in the drone attack while stationed inside Saudi Arabia along the border with Yemen.

Saudi Brigadier General Turki al-Malki, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen, strongly condemned the attack, labeling it a “treacherous hostile act.” He also asserted the coalition’s right to respond at an appropriate time and place, citing what they considered ongoing hostilities by the Houthis over the past month.

The Houthi movement, in response, claimed that violations of the truce between them and the Saudi-led coalition had not ceased despite recent peace talks. They reported that 12 Yemeni soldiers had been killed in one month due to truce violations by forces associated with the coalition.

Mohammed Abdulsalam, the spokesperson for the Houthi group, expressed regret over the truce violations and described them as “regrettable.”

The conflict in Yemen originated in 2014 when the Houthi rebels took control of the capital, Sanaa. In 2015, a Saudi-led military intervention, which included Bahrain, was initiated with the aim of reinstating the internationally recognized government. The conflict has endured for years without a decisive military victory for either side, resulting in a severe humanitarian crisis and hundreds of thousands of casualties.

A ceasefire brokered by the UN in April 2022 had significantly reduced hostilities and casualties. Although the truce expired in October, fighting had largely remained on hold. Earlier in the year, Saudi Arabia initiated diplomatic efforts to seek a permanent resolution to the conflict with the Houthi rebels.

Talks between the two sides were held in April and were followed by a substantial prisoner exchange involving nearly 900 detainees. Last week, a delegation from the Houthi movement traveled to Saudi Arabia to resume direct talks. After five days of discussions, Saudi Arabia described the outcomes as “positive.”

Analysts have suggested that these talks reflect Riyadh’s acknowledgment that its prolonged military campaign is unlikely to result in the defeat of the Houthi rebels. Additionally, the talks come in the wake of an agreement earlier in the year between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which supports the Houthis, to re-establish diplomatic relations.

source: with agencies