3 Saudis, 1 Emirati killed in Yemen border shelling

Three Saudi soldiers and an Emirati have been killed on Saudi Arabia's border with Yemen, where Riyadh is a leading a bombing campaign against rebels who have taken control of large parts of the country, Saudi state media said on Thursday.

Two Saudi troops were killed at sunset on Wednesday when a rocket landed in the Jizan region, the Saudi-led coalition said in a statement carried by the SPA state news agency.

It did not specify the source of fire but cross-border shelling by Yemeni Houthi rebels has become frequent since Riyadh launched an air campaign against them and their allies, Yemeni army units loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, late in March.

The statement said a Saudi border guard was also killed at the Alab crossing point in the Asir region, without elaborating.

On Monday, an Emirati soldier died in a border skirmish with Houthi fighters, the statement added.

The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition that has been pounding Houthi-Saleh forces since March 26 in support of exiled President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

At least 43 people, civilians and troops, have now lost their lives in shelling and skirmishes along the border since the campaign began.

More than 2,600 people have been killed inside Yemen as a result of the airstrikes and months of fighting between rebels and forces opposing them.