Saudi soldier dies in Yemen border mine blast

Riyadh : A landmine has killed a Saudi Arabian soldier patrolling the southern border with Yemen, the interior ministry says.

The blast struck a Border Guard patrol at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) Tuesday morning in the kingdom's Jazan region, the ministry said in a statement late Tuesday.

About 100 Saudi soldiers and civilians have died from shelling, skirmishes and mines in the border region since a Saudi-led coalition in March last year began a military intervention in Yemen.

The Arab coalition intervened with air strikes and other support for Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels overran much of the country.

Fighting has continued in Yemen despite a formal ceasefire in conjunction with United Nations-brokered peace talks between rebels and the government that began in Kuwait in April.

Negotiations have failed to make headway but are scheduled to resume on Friday.