Saudi Arabia has launched a military operation in
Yemen to defend the government of president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the
Saudi envoy to the United States says.
A resident and official in
the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, said warplanes have attacked the city's
airport and the Al Dulaimi military airbase.Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir, announced the operation and said 10 countries, including Gulf Arab states, would be involved.
The move came after a rebel attack on the southern city of Aden, where the country's president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi had taken shelter.
Mr Jubeir said Houthi militia forces were in control of Yemen's air force and ballistic weapons.
"The operation is to defend the legitimate government," he told reporters in Washington.
Mr Jubeir said the United States had been consulted but would not be participating in the operation.
The US said it was supporting the operation, without elaborating on the kinds of support it would provide.
In a separate statement, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates said they had "decided to answer the call of President Hadi to protect Yemen and his people from the aggression of the [Shiite] Houthi militia".
Fears of proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran
Yemen has been gripped by growing turmoil since the Shiite Houthi rebels launched a power takeover in Sanaa in February.The strife has raised fears Yemen could be torn apart by a proxy war between Shiite Iran, accused of backing the rebels, and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, which supports Mr Hadi.
It is unclear whether Mr Hadi remains in Yemen.
Yemeni officials said he was still in the country, but the US state department spokeswoman said he was no longer at his residence in Aden.
Reuters/AFP
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