Saudi gov't bribing Najran Sheikhs to dissuade support for Yemeni forces: Report

Rasa - Saudi Minister of the National Guard Mutaib bin Abdullah has sent gifts, worth several millions of Rials, to the Arab sheikhs in Najran in the Southeastern parts of the country to dissuade them from hosting and supporting Yemen's Ansarullah movement.

News ID: 2701

Date: 09 June 2015 - 01:21

RNA - Yemen's Khabar news agency reported that Mutaib has paid 1mln Saudi rials (approximately 250 US dollar) to each tribal leaders and sheikhs in Najran along with an appreciation letter to keep them on Riyadh's side.

The Saudi activists have released documents showing one-million-rial checks sent for Hossein Mahdi al-Haidar, Massoud Bin Mahdi al-Haidar, Sal Ibn Naji and others who are among the Nijran leaders.

The report came after the Yemeni army and tribal forces attacked military positions in Najran, in Southeastern Saudi Arabia, near the two countries' borders on Monday.

The Yemeni forces attacked the Saudi army's base in al-Sharafa region in Najran province, the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television quoted a Yemeni military source as saying.

There have yet been no immediate report on the number of the casualties inflicted on the Saudi forces.

On Sunday, media reports said that the Saudis, including Royal family members, are in a rush to flee the country after Yemen's first Scud missile hit a military airbase in Saudi Arabia's South on Saturday.

"The Saudi residents of Khamees al-Mushait are waiting in a several-kilometer-long trail of cars to flee after their city was hit by Yemeni Scud missiles," the Arabic-language Sa'ada Press news website reported.

The Riyadh-based Ahrar al-Hejaz news website also reported that many Saudi princes have fled to western countries, specially France and Britain, after consecutive defeats of King Salman's army and plots, adding that some other princes are running away in anticipation of trial and punishment due to their opposition to the king's war on Yemen.

Also yesterday, the media reports said that the Yemeni troops showed that Riyadh is within their reach after they fired a Scud missile on Saturday.

The London-based Arabic daily Rai al-Youm reported that as the UN-backed peace talks are near, firing of Scud missiles by the Yemeni forces means a shift in the balance of power in the crisis in Yemen.

Military analysts believe that the Scud missiles used by the Yemeni army and popular forces against Saudi Arabia are reminiscent of the missiles used by the Hezbollah and Hamas resistance movements against Israel; the missiles which reached deep inside Israel.

The daily noted that Saudi Arabia is also aware of the threat of the Scud missiles and the Saudi regime knows that if they can hit al-Khamees, Shamit and Abha as well as Jizan, they can also reach deep inside Saudi Arabia and cause serious threat to that country.

On Saturday, the Yemeni army fired a Scud missile into Saudi Arabia, forcing the monarchy's officials to cancel all Jizan and Abha flights.

According to media reports, the missile was fired early Saturday morning at the Saudi regime's largest air force base located in the city of Khamees al-Mushait in the kingdom's Southwest.

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