They will join members of the border guard and the army who have reinforced the frontier since March 26 when a Saudi-led coalition began air strikes against Houthi rebels and their allies in Yemen.

Riyadh — The first troops from Saudi Arabia’s National Guard have been deployed on the border with Yemen, official media said late on Sunday.

They will join members of the border guard and the army who have reinforced the frontier since March 26 when a Saudi-led coalition began air strikes against Houthi rebels and their allies in Yemen.

The vanguard of National Guard troops “have arrived in Najran region to participate in the defence of the southern borders... so as to confront any possible threats,” the official Saudi Press Agency said.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salaman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia announced on April 21 the National Guard’s mobilisation, just hours before the coalition declared an end to its air campaign dubbed “Operation Decisive Storm”.

Despite that declaration, the coalition has continued daily air strikes in Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels are allied with army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

A diplomatic source said the decision to deploy the National Guard was made the week prior to King Salman’s announcement.

The National Guard is led by Prince Miteb bin Abdullah. Saudi-led coalition warplanes hit anti-government forces in south Yemen on Monday, killing at least 12 Houthi insurgents and allied forces as fighting continued across several provinces, military and local sources said.

The aircraft pounded five schools converted by the rebels into military bases in Ataq, the capital of Abyan province, military sources said.

Also in Abyan, warplanes targeted rebel positions on the outskirts of Loder, the province’s second largest city, witnesses said.