JAZAN, Saudi Arabia - The Saudi border guard points past a crumbling, abandoned village towards a road barely visible against the hazy backdrop of Yemen's towering mountains.
"That is the Red Line," he says.
Beyond it lies Yemen and the threat from its Shia militia who have already killed three Border Guard troopers since a Saudi-led coalition began air strikes last month to stop a rebel advance on Yemen's port city of Aden.
Hundreds of kilometres (miles) from the battle for the city, the Border Guard force -- supported by Saudi artillery and army troops -- have reinforced the kingdom's frontier along the Houthi's traditional north Yemen stronghold of Sadaa.
"We took control of all the high points," the officer says atop the three-storey observation tower on a sandy hill which even a four-wheel drive vehicle struggles to ascend.
The post, named "Tayash", was established one month ago. On the roof, two machine gunners aim their weapons out over the deserted brownish-green valley stretching for several kilometres towards Yemen's scrubby mountains.
Since a 2009 incursion by the Houthis, Saudi Arabia has relocated villagers to modern housing compounds further from the border in a bid to improve security.
All that remains in the valley are abandoned clusters of roofless buildings and a distant mosque now devoid of worshippers.
So far, no shots have been fired in anger at this post, guards say.
"There are no Huthis" nearby, one says, a rifle slung over his shoulder as he stands on the edge of the hill above an armoured personnel carrier.
To make sure, other guards scan the terrain with binoculars.
A noisy electricity generator powers their wind-blown base, which includes ground-floor sleeping quarters, about 100 kilometres from Saudi Arabia's most southwestern city, Jazan.
AFP
