Bahrain says fourth soldier dies after Yemeni rebel attack

MANAMA — A fourth Bahraini soldier has died after an attack this week on his country’s contingent in the Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the  army said.

Bahrain had previously announced the deaths of three of its soldiers in Monday’s attack near the Saudi border with Yemen. It accused the Houthis of carrying out the drone strike that killed them

First Lt. Hamad Khalifa Al Kubaisi had on Friday “succumbed to serious injuries as a result of the treacherous Houthi attack”, the Bahraini army said.

He had been wounded while “performing his national duty”, it said in a statement posted on social media.

This is the most significant Bahraini troop loss in the Yemen conflict since five soldiers were killed in 2015.

Saudi Arabia, the United States, France and the United Nations have condemned the attack.

Bahrain and the United States were among the countries that blamed the attack on the Houthi rebels, who have yet to make any comment on the matter.

Bahrain has taken part in the military intervention spearheaded by Saudi Arabia since 2015 in support of the Yemeni government against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

A Houthi delegation held five days of talks in Saudi Arabia this month aimed at consolidating a UN-brokered ceasefire, which has largely held despite officially expiring in October.