Saudi Coalition Denies Yemeni Houthis’ Claims of Capturing Troops

Col. Turki al-Malki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition invading Yemen, finally addressed weekend reports of thousands of Saudi troops being captured, saying that the Houthis’ claims were “misleading.”

The Houthis announced Saturday, and elaborated on the operation Sunday, saying around 500 Saudi soldiers were killed, and thousands of others were captured. Malki’s statement suggested no fighting in the border region took place at all, despite the Houthis showing videos of the operation.

Malki suggested that rather than sustaining losses, the Saudis had actually killed 1,500 Houthis over the past several weeks. He did not elaborate on how or when that happened, though heavy Saudi airstrikes have been ongoing in north Yemen.

The Houthis have been showing off vehicles and arms captured in their offensive, and while the Saudis are claiming none of this happened, they don’t seem to have an explanation for how such a huge claim would be “misleading.”