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Saudi troops 'captured' in Yemen Saudi troops 'captured' in Yemen
(about 7 hours later)
Nine Saudi soldiers have been seized by Houthi rebels in northern Yemen during fighting, the insurgents have said. Nine Saudi soldiers have been captured by Houthi rebels during fighting in northern Yemen, a rebel spokesman says.
A rebel spokesman based in Germany told BBC News that the incident took place inside Yemeni territory and urged Saudi Arabia to stay out of the conflict. Speaking from Germany, Yahya al-Houthi told the BBC their grievance was with the Yemeni government and urged Saudi Arabia to stay out of the conflict.
The Saudi defence ministry confirmed nine soldiers were missing and may have been taken prisoner. The Saudi defence ministry has confirmed nine soldiers are missing and may have been taken prisoner.
The rebels, known as Houthis, accuse Saudi Arabia of supporting the Yemeni government in offensives against them. The Houthis accuse Riyadh of supporting the Yemeni armed forces by letting them launch attacks from its territory.
The spokesman, Yahya al-Houthi, stressed that the rebels' grievance was with the Yemeni government and not with Saudi Arabia. Later, the rebels said on their website that Saudi planes had carried out bombing raids about 30km (19 miles) inside Yemen.
Border guard A statement said the attack on Saqayn district had caused civilian casualties, but gave no further details.
The rebels first took up arms against the Yemeni government in 2004, saying they are trying to reverse the political, economic and religious marginalisation of the Zaydi Shia community. Saudi forces have been carrying out air and artillery strikes on Yemen for several weeks, after the rebels killed a border guard in a raid.
The Yemeni government accuses the Houthis of wanting to re-establish Zaydi clerical rule, which ended in 1962, and of receiving support from Iran. 'Marginalisation'
The rebels had long held that Saudi Arabia allowed Yemeni armed forces to launch attacks from its territory. The Houthis, named after the family of their leader, say they are trying to reverse the political, economic and religious marginalisation of the Zaydi Shia community.
The Saudis were overtly drawn into the fighting in November 2009 when the rebels killed a Saudi border guard and took over Saudi villages. They also accuse Saudi Arabia of supporting the Yemeni armed forces by allowing them to launch attacks from its territory, a charge both countries deny.
Saudi armed forces say they have since driven the rebels out of the kingdom, but frequently deny attacking targets within Yemeni territory. The Yemeni government accuses the Houthis of wanting to re-establish Zaydi clerical rule, which ended in 1962.
The Zaydi community are a minority in Yemen, but make up the majority in the north of the country.The Zaydi community are a minority in Yemen, but make up the majority in the north of the country.
The insurgents first took up arms against the government in 2004, after which government forces killed or captured much of the Houthi leadership.
The government launched a fresh offensive in August 2009, which has precipitated a new wave of intense fighting.The government launched a fresh offensive in August 2009, which has precipitated a new wave of intense fighting.
Aid agencies say tens of thousands of people have been displaced.Aid agencies say tens of thousands of people have been displaced.