SAUDI ARABIA suffered a major defeat on Saturday when thousands of its troops were captured in the Saudi-Yemen border town of Najran during the Yemeni army’s largest-ever assault.

Three entire brigades were included in those taken prisoner by Yemeni forces and the popular committees, according to Brigadier General Yahia Sarie, who said hundreds of military vehicles and weapons had also been seized during Operation Nasr Min Allah (Victory from Allah).

Hundreds were killed and injured in the battle, including senior commanders, officers and soldiers from the Saudi armed forces, he said in a statement.

Brig Gen Sarie said: “After the surrender of thousands of the enemy troops, the Yemeni army and popular committees worked on securing them from retaliatory air strikes by the aggression coalition war planes that targeted the captives with dozens of raids.”

The offensive had been planned for several months and inflicted the biggest military defeat of the coalition forces since the aggression against Yemen started in March 2015.

The conflict has led to devastation in Yemen, with US and British-backed air strikes bombing the country to the brink of the worst global famine in a century.

Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, according to the United Nations, with infrastructure including schools and hospitals targeted in attacks.

Millions more have been displaced and two-thirds of the Yemeni population is now reliant on humanitarian aid.

The United Nations agreed earlier this week to extend its investigations into potential war crimes, despite opposition from Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh’s envoy to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, insists investigators have published “non-credible, unfounded information which hadn’t even been verified.”

Western government, including Britain, continue to accuse Iran of human rights violations through its support for “Houthi rebels,” which Tehran denies.

Saturday’s operation saw the liberation of hundreds of square kilometres of occupied land, Brig Gen Sarie claimed.

“Only 72 hours after the start of the Nasr Min Allah operation, our forces enforced the full siege on the enemy,” he said.

The senior Yemeni officer offered assurances to the families of prisoners of war that measures would be taken to protect them from coalition air strikes.

He promised they would be treated humanely until a deal could be reached on a comprehensive prisoner exchange.

Yemen’s military offensive is set to continue, with further details to be announced in the coming days.

“The different stages of the operation will be implemented according to plan,” Brig Gen Sarie said.