Is the Saudi military having difficulty with the Houthis?

Headline:
Saudi deaths in fight with Yemen rebels reach 113

Link:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100121/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_saudi_arabia_yemen;_ylt=AqRQrrLVcyYhEWIPchkKvcTCw5R4;_ylu=X3oDMTNhOXNlMmk2BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMTIxL21sX3NhdWRpX2FyYWJpYV95ZW1lbgRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzUEcG9zAzUEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNzYXVkaWRlYXRoc2k-

Story:
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The Saudi army has lost 113 troops since the kingdom launched a sweeping offensive against neighboring Yemen’s Shiite rebels in early November, a military commander said in comments published Thursday.

The kingdom’s well-funded but largely untested military joined the fray after Shiite rebels from Yemen crossed the border into Saudi Arabia on Nov. 5, killing two Saudi border guards.

The Al Riyadh newspaper quoted Maj. Gen. Ali Zaid al-Khawaji as saying the dead include a senior Saudi officer whose body was found with those of two soldiers after a battle last week to drive rebels out of a border .

The latest toll is a significant jump from last week, when assistant defense minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan said the Saudis had 82 dead and 470 wounded.

The mounting toll underscores the ferocity of the fighting with the poorly armed Yemeni Hawthi rebels, who have been battling their own government since 2004 over neglect and discrimination.