[Iran Press TV Latest] Saudi Arabia has detained 1,805 refugees near its border with Yemen where it has deployed thousands of troops to help Sana'a clamp down on Shia Houthi fighters. The Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat cited senior Saudi military sources as claiming that the detainees arrested in the last 10 days had "infiltrated the Saudi-Yemen border."
The paper also cited the military source as saying Saudi forces were continuing to bombard Houthi positions in the mountainous border region from both land and air.
Riyadh insists that all its military operations are being carried out on the Saudi side of the border, without crossing into Yemen. The Houthis however accuse the neighboring powerhouse of targeting civilians in villages which are kilometers away from the border with relentless airstrikes and heavy artillery fire.
In November, the Shia fighters called the international community to take action against the "atrocities" committed in the violence-stricken region, warning that the joint Saudi-Yemeni offensive has placed the civilian population on the verge of a humanitarian disaster.
Sana'a launched massive military action on August 11 in the northern province of Sa'ada to quell the Houthi fighters who accuse the government of discrimination and repression of Yemen's Shia minority.
The so-called Operation Scorched Earth has so far killed hundreds of people and forced tens of thousands of civilians out of their homes.