Prince Khaled Bin Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation for Security Affairs, has reiterated that the Kingdom will only discuss the fate of the four missing Saudi soldiers and the method of repatriating them with the Yemeni government. In a telephone conversation with Okaz, Prince Khaled made it clear that no talks or mediation would be conducted with the infiltrators who encroached upon the Kingdom's southern border regarding the Saudi soldiers who went missing during military operations or about any other matter. Prince Khaled made the comment in reply to the offer made by the infiltrators to accept an exchange of war prisoners if the Kingdom commits to peace. Prince Khaled said, “The Kingdom will never enter into dialogue, negotiate or discuss with the infiltrators. They know this better than anyone. This is the Kingdom's stand which has been stated clearly because the state can only discuss the matter with the Yemeni government. It should be clearly understood that the Kingdom will only raise the issue of the Saudi soldiers who went missing on the battlefield and their repatriation with the Yemeni government.” He announced that the number of missing Saudi soldiers has been reduced to four as doubts exist as to whether the fifth soldier is still alive. He further stated that the four missing Saudi soldiers are being held by the infiltrators. Prince Khaled praised the relationship linking the Kingdom with most Yemeni tribes, stressing that the Kingdom has old deep-rooted relations with those tribes for whom the Kingdom have respect and admiration. At the same time, he denied the existence of any Yemeni tribal mediation regarding the missing Saudi soldiers. He further revealed that the infiltrators have left some snipers near the Saudi border despite the announcement that they have made about their withdrawal. Prince Khaled once again repeated the Kingdom's conditions for stopping military operations. “The first requirement is the withdrawal of the snipers, the second is the return of the missing Saudi soldiers to the Kingdom and the third is the mobilization of the Yemeni Armed Forces on the Saudi-Yemeni border.” Meanwhile, the chiefs of the two largest Yemeni tribes, Hashid and Bakail, have, in a telephone conversation with Okaz, praised the comments made by Prince Khaled about the Kingdom's relationship with the Yemeni tribes. Naji Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Shaif, chief of the Bakail tribe and Saddik Bin Abdullah Bin Hussien Al-Ahmar, chief of the Hashid tribe, said, “The Yemeni tribes highly appreciate the Kingdom's honorable stand and deep-rooted relations with the Yemeni government and people and its keenness for the safety and stability of the republic.” They stressed their total and absolute rejection of any action that encroaches upon the Kingdom's sovereignty and the safety of its lands, describing the offensive by the infiltrators as a rash adventure against a country which the entire world views as a country of love and peace, as well as being the cradle of Islam.
