RIYADH: Yemeni rebels said yesterday they had captured an unspecified number of Saudi soldiers, after Riyadh said it would press on with its offensive until it had cleared them from its territory.

"We will show their images within hours," a rebel spokesman said.

"Our demands are clear: there is no justification at all for this outrageous Saudi aggression," he said, reiterating his group's position that Saudi forces had crossed the border into Yemen.

Saudi said it carried out air strikes against "infiltrators" from Yemen that were limited to areas inside Saudi territory, and vowed to press on with the military action until the border with its restive neighbour was secure.

The statement, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, did not identify the infiltrators or address claims by Arab diplomats that the strikes hit across the boundary, targeting rebels who have been battling Yemeni government forces for the past few months in the country's northern Saada province.

The SPA statement stressed the Saudi military action was confined to areas within the kingdom's borders.

In Yemen, however, a military official said Saudi forces yesterday continued to shell rebel positions in Saada.

The rebels said the Saudi air strikes hit five areas in their northern stronghold, adding that there were dead and wounded and homes were destroyed.

The SPA said the Saudi offensive was prompted by an attack by infiltrators from Yemen on Saudi border guards in the Jebel Dukhan area that killed one Saudi soldier and wounded 11.

Operations

"That gives the kingdom the full right to take all measures to put an end to this illegal presence," it said.

"The operations will continue until all positions inside Saudi territory are purged of all hostile elements. All necessary measures will be taken to prevent this from happening again in the future." Al Arabiya TV said 20 Saudi soldiers have been wounded in sporadic clashes along the border and that more than 100 Yemeni rebels have been arrested inside Saudi territory. It said at least 40 rebels have also surrendered during the air strike in the Jebel Dukhan region.