World economic downturn has not affected Saudi Arabia's military ambitions and the country is still the biggest military spender in the Middle East region.

Saudi Arabia's military expenditure amounted to $ 40.5 billion in 2009, CNN reported.

Israel has had the second highest military expenditure in the Middle East, spending $ 13 billion on military purchases.

According to the CNN report the military expenditure in the Middle East has jumped to $ 102 billion from $ 77 billion in 2006.

The report comes as Saudi Arabia has involved itself a in a military conflict between the Yemeni government and Houthi fighters in northern Yemen.

The conflict in northern Yemen began in 2004 between Sana'a and Houthi fighters. Relative peace had returned to the region until August 11, when the Yemeni army launched a major offensive, dubbed Operation Scorched Earth, against Sa'ada.

The Yemeni government claims that the fighters, who are named after their leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, seek to restore the Shia imamate system, which was overthrown in a 1962 military coup.

Saudi Arabia has launched its own massive military attacks against the fighters, after accusing them of killing two Saudi border guards.

Yemen's Houthi fighters say that state of the art Saudi fighter jets have dropped phosphorous bombs on the Shia minority in the Yemen's northern areas.

MGH/DT