A Saudi border guard was shot dead Thursday when his post came under fire from Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting rebels, the interior ministry said.

The post in the Jazan district "was subject to heavy fire from a mountainous area in Yemen," said a ministry statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The guard died before reaching hospital.

His comrades and troops returned fire.

The guard's death brings to at least 60 the number of people killed in shelling and skirmishes along the border with Yemen since the coalition campaign began on March 26 against Iran-backed Shiite rebels and their allies.

Most of the border casualties have been soldiers.

Another 10 Saudi troops died inside Yemen Friday. They were among 60 coalition soldiers killed when a missile hit their base in Marib province.

The World Health Organization says more than 4,500 people, including a vast number of civilians, have been killed in Yemen since March 19.