CAIRO (DPA) - Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Saturday (Sept 28) they had captured hundreds of Saudis in a major offensive against the Saudi-led alliance that is fighting the group.

The Houthis captured thousands of "enemy forces," including hundreds of Saudi military personnel, in an operation targeting the Saudi south-western region of Najran, according to the rebel group's military spokesman, Yahia Sarie.

The rebels also seized large quantities of weapons, the spokesman added, as reported by pro-Houthi broadcaster al-Masirah.

"This is the largest operation since aggression started on our country," Sarie said. He did not give details about when the offensive started.

There has been no comment so far from the Saudi-led coalition, which has been fighting the Houthis in Yemen since March 2015.

Earlier this month, the Houthis claimed an attack on major Saudi oil facilities, but Saudi Arabia and the United States blamed the attack on Iran, a regional rival of Riyadh.

Yemen, one of the Arab world's poorest countries, has been locked in a devastating power struggle between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government since late 2014.

The Saudis fear that the Houthis will give Iran a strategic foothold in the Arabian Peninsula.