A senior commander of Saudi Arabia's Armed Forces, Colonel Hamoud Jarad, has been killed during a aggressive mission in the city of al-Matoun in al-Jawf province, sources disclosed on Friday.

Colonel Hamoud Jarad, a senior commander of Saudi Arabia's Armed Forces, was killed during a mission in the city of al-Matoun in al Jawf province, sources disclosed on Friday.

Thirteen other Saudi officers were also killed along with Colonel Jarad in al-Matoun city.

The Yemeni army and popular forces confronted and killed a number of militants affiliated with Saudi Arabia before they could penetrate into al-Jawf province.

A large number of the militants' armored vehicles were also destroyed by the Yemeni popular forces in the battle.

Last Wednesday, senior military commanders warned that the Riyadh government is preparing for full-fledged military operations against Yemen as it will enjoy Washington's support in the Southern parts of the Arab country.

"Saudi Arabia is planning to initiate a joint offensive on Yemeni army and popular forces with the US support," Senior Yemeni military commander Mohammad Salman al-Salman told FNA.

He pointed to the dispatch of 250 US soldiers to Yemen in recent days and their presence in al-Anad military airport in the Southern part of the Arab country, and said, "The presence of the US forces in Yemen has resulted in a rise in the number of pro-Hadi militias and Al-Qaeda terrorists in the neighboring provinces."

Al-Salman underlined that Washington's decision to send soldiers to Yemen came after the war against the Yemeni resistance failed after 13 months.

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