Saudi forces repel Houthi attack on Najran

Saudi forces on Friday repelled an attack by Houthi militants and militias loyal to deposed leader Ali Abdullah Saleh targeting the kingdom’s southern city of Najran, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.

Four members of Saudi security forces were killed, including two officers, as forces pushed against another attack on the southwestern city of Jizan, Al Arabiya reported. The counterattck also killed dozens of militiamen loyal to Houthis and Saleh.

Shortly after the attack, Al Arabiya reported that a series of coalition sorties struck Houthi-held locations namely in the Al Anad base in Lahij in addition to a weapons depot in the capital Sanaa.

A security official described the attack as a “failure,” adding that Saudi-led coalition warplanes aided in pushing back the militants.

Earlier on Friday, members of the Houthi militia agreed to attend U.N.-brokered peace talks in Switzerland, as the war-torn country's exiled government confirmed it too would attend.

The talks would be aimed at securing a ceasefire, agreeing on a withdrawal plan for the Houthis and stepping up deliveries of humanitarian aid, Agence France-Presse reported diplomats as saying.

A Saudi-led coalition of Arab states has been bombing Houthi forces for over two months in an attempt to restore President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi.

On Thursday, coalition warplanes targeted arms depots at the Hamza military base in Ibb province and air raids also hit a Houthi base in Dhamar province, witnesses told AFP.

Thursday’s raids followed a night of intensive air strikes against rebels in Taez and coastguard positions in Hodeida in western Yemen, as well as Houthi positions in their northern stronghold of Saada.