Saudi victory The al-Wadiah War was a military conflict which broke out on 27 November 1969 between Saudi Arabia and the People's Republic of Southern Yemen (PRSY; South Yemen) after disputes for the towns of al-Wadiah and Sharurah on the PRSY-Saudi Arabian border.

[6] Simultaneously PRSY-Saudi relations had been incredibly tense, with Faisal of Saudi Arabia regarding the left-wing government with extreme hostility, which was in turn reciprocated by the PRSY, which supported the overthrow of the Gulf monarchies.

[8] The PRSY government claimed that the Saudis had occupied al-Wadiah in order to secure potential oil reserves in the area.

Saudi forces deployed in the region were limited to some tribal militias, backed by some aircraft and artillery.

Sultan commissioned all units in the southern region for the task of attempting to reoccupy al-Wadiah within two days.

The initial part of the conflict was largely limited to aerial battles, with a series of air clashes taking place in late November and early December.

On one instance, English Electric Lightnings flown by Saudi and Pakistani pilots from Khamis Airbase launched devastating rocket attacks on Yemeni supply lines.

[4] Tensions continued, especially after the 1972 Tripoli Agreement, under which North and South Yemen agreed to unite, due to Saudi hostility to any merger.