Saudi Arabia: Border guard killed while on duty in Jazan Province Dec. 14

Event

Reports emerged Dec. 14 that unidentified assailants killed a border guard in Jazan Province. The exact nature of his death remains unclear; however, it is almost certainly related to the ongoing conflict between the kingdom and Yemen's Al-Houthi rebels. Additional incidents of violence along the Saudi-Yemeni border are possible in the coming days.

Context

Violence along the border region has been an ongoing issue since the Saudi-led campaign against the Al-Houthi rebels in Yemen began in March 2015. Most cross-border attacks involve gunfire, shelling, or rocket fire. The Al-Houthis in northern Yemen control almost all the territory in Hajjah and Sa'adah governorates along the Saudi-Yemeni border, and claim cross-border attacks on a near-daily basis. Very small groups of fighters execute most Al-Houthi ground assaults inside Saudi Arabia; nearly all are isolated raids targeting poorly defended border outposts manned by inexperienced Saudi or allied soldiers.

Al-Houthi forces are not perceived to have the capacity to seize or hold territory inside Saudi Arabia, but periodic border skirmishes will likely continue in the near term, particularly in hill areas along the shared border.