Saudi Arabia increased its military and security spending in 2015 by about SR20 billion ($5.3 billion), Economy and Planning Minister Adel Fakieh told reporters on Monday.

Fakieh attributed the rise to the kingdom's participation in Operation Decisive Storm, an intervention by a Saudi-led Gulf Arab coalition in Yemen's civil war.

The government had previously not disclosed the cost of its intervention in Yemen, which largely consists of air strikes.

A 2016 budget plan released by the finance ministry on Monday allocated SR213 billion ($57 billion) to the military and security services, the largest single allocation. It comprised over 25 per cent of the total budget.-Reuters