Saudi Arabia and its allies have launched airstrikes in Yemen against rebel Shiite Houthi forces gaining more ground. The mainly Gulf coalition, which also includes the US, is trying to help embattled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
09 April 2015
Countries such as the UK and US have given almost unlimited backing to Saudi Arabia, a fact that massively exacerbates the situation in Yemen, Charles Shoebridge, a former army officer, broadcaster and writer, told RT.
Yemen's defense ministry in Sanaa has been hit by the coalition's airstrikes, witnesses tell AFP. The ministry is controlled by Shiite rebels and allied troops.
Three explosions were heard as warplanes hit the building in central Sanaa and thick smoke billowed over the area, the witnesses said.
More than half an hour of heavy explosions Sanaa, Yemen pic.twitter.com/jdaFLaU1z6
— مراد ناصر (@Murad_Nasser) April 9, 2015
06 April 2015
Houthi rebels have detained 122 pro-government activists and political figures after raiding residences and offices across the Yemeni capital, the Sanaa Legal Right Center said, according to the Washington Post.
05 April 2015
An American has been killed in a mortar attack in Aden, CNN reports. The 45-year-old Jamal al-Labani is believed to have been the first US national to have died in the conflict thus far. Al-Labani was hit in the back by shrapnel from a mortar shell when he was returning home from mosque prayers, his family said.
The Saudi-led Arab air campaign in Yemen is engaging Houthi rebels’ positions at two strategic locations, at a sea port and an airport, military sources told Sputnik.
One airstrike “targeted al-Salif port in al-Hudayda province in western Yemen, and al-Hudayda military airport, despite it being bombed several days ago,” a military official said
Over 1m children in #Yemen can’t go to school because of the ongoing conflict. via @UNICEF_Yemenpic.twitter.com/Zc5WGuZp0p
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) April 4, 2015
More than forty people were killed as a result of fighting near the Aden port on Sunday. According to a pro-Hadi militia source cited by Reuters, 36 Houthi militants as well as 11 fighters loyal to ousted Yemen President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi combatants were killed in the central Mualla district near the port. Houthi militants had advanced towards the port, but were pushed back hours later towards an army base.
Houthi forces managed to slowly advance towards the city’s center despite the sustained 11-day Saudi-led air strike campaign against them. Aden had been one of the few remaining footholds for Hadi-supporters. After being forced out the capital Sanaa, the erstwhile Yemeni leader had been lying low in the southern port city. He fled to Saudi Arabia last week as Houthi forces advanced and violence in the area escalated.
The International Committee Red Cross (ICRC) has secured the support of the Saudi-led coalition to bring in vital medical supplies and aid workers to Yemen, according to Reuters. “We have received permission from the coalition for two planes now, one carrying supplies and one with staff,” ICRC spokeswoman Sitara Jabeen said.
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BREAKING: Spokesman: #OpDecisiveStorm commits to facilitating evacuations form #Yemen
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) April 5, 2015
A Houthi leader has said that the militant Shiite faction is ready for peace talks on condition Saudi-led air strikes are halted and “non aggressive” parties oversee the negotiations.
"We have no conditions except a halt to the aggression and sitting at the dialogue table within a specific time period,” Saleh al-Sammad, a senior Houthi member and former adviser to President Hadi told Reuters. “Any international or regional parties that have no aggressive positions towards the Yemeni people can oversee the dialogue."
South Korea has opened a temporary diplomatic mission on a warship in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen to provide support to its citizens who are still in the country, according to the Yonhap news agency. Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff say the diplomatic office was set up on Friday on the Wang Geon Navy destroyer. The vessel has been in the region since 2009 to combat Somali pirates and protect Korean ships.
A fourth Russian plane carrying some 160 evacuees from Yemen has landed in Moscow. Alongside the Russian nationals on board the Il-62, are people from Ukraine, Yemen, Cuba, Iraq and Kyrgyzstan. Twenty three children were on board the plane.
The passengers are being offered medical assistance. Those with onward journey will be transported to the capital’s transport hubs. The rest are being offered complimentary hotel accommodation.
Over 600 people were evacuated in over the past few days. As fighting in Yemen continues, Russia has helped evacuate some 600 people. They have included Poles, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Yemenis as well as citizens from a list of former Soviet republics. At least one thousand are still waiting in Yemen for Russian flights to take them to safety.
Saudi Arabia has rejected Russia’s amendments to a Security Council draft resolution which would see an all-inclusive arms embargo on all parties in the Yemeni conflict, as it continues to spiral out of control with civilian death toll climbing up.
“There is little point in putting an embargo on the whole country. It doesn’t make sense to punish everybody else for the behavior of one party that has been the aggressor in this situation,” Saudi Arabia’s representative to the UN Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said after a closed emergency UN Security Council meeting on Saturday.
04 April 2015
During a closed emergency UN Security Council meeting on Saturday, Russia submitted a draft resolution to the UN calling for a humanitarian pause to the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in an effort to quell the violence raging throughout the country. The resolution pressed for a suspension of the air strikes in order to allow for the evacuation of foreign civilians and diplomats as well security guarantees for humanitarian aid.
A third plane with about 160 people evacuated from crisis-stricken Yemen landed at the Chkalovsky airfield in the Moscow region late on Saturday. It carried Russian citizens as well as others from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldavia, Syria, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Yemen. Among the evacuees were 31 children. A fourth plane with the same number of evacuees from Yemen is expected to land in a few hours.
Tribal gunmen entered the Yemeni coastal town of Mukalla in an attempt to liberate it from militants, residents told Reuters. Jihadists had taken control of the town 48 hours earlier, destabilizing security, breaking into buildings and freeing prisoners from Mukalla's main jail.
Fifty-five Turkish citizens, evacuated on Friday from Aden to Djibouti on a Turkish naval vessel, have caught a flight to Istanbul, sources told the Andalou agency. Turkish embassy officials escorted the Turkish nationals to an airport in Djibouti, where they boarded a Turkish Airlines flight.
Two Russian passenger jets are expected to evacuate more than 300 Russian nationals and any others wanting to escape the conflict-torn country, Russian channel Vesti reports. The two planes landed in Sanaa on Saturday. The previous day, more than 300 evacuees, including Russians, Belarusians and Poles landed safely near Moscow following several days of delays.
A family of nine was killed in an airstrike on Friday evening on a Yemeni village near Sanaa, Reuters reports, citing residents. Five others were wounded, while several more remained trapped in the rubble, according to Yemeni state news agency Saba.
A Saudi-led military coalition has been waging airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels since last week. The operation is intended to bring ousted President Hadi back into power and prevent the Houthi militants and backers of Hadi’s predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh from gaining full control of the country.
Saudi Arabia continues to block three aid and medical staff shipments bound for Yemen, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Saturday. The ICRC claims it has appealed to the Saudi-led coalition, which is controlling Yemen’s airspace and ports, to let the shipments through.
The shipments include a plane carrying medical equipment, a second with 30 tons of medical and water sanitation supplies, and a boat transporting a surgical team.
185 people are dead and more than 1,200 wounded as a result of fighting in Yemen’s main southern city of Aden, a medical official told AFP Saturday. The city’s health department director, Al-Kheder Lassouar, said at least three-quarters of the casualties were civilians.
Fighting between the Houthi rebels and supporters of ousted President Hadi has intensified sharply since last week. The Hadi-loyalists are bolstered by Saudi-led airstrikes on Yemen.
The US State Department issued a statement warning Americans against traveling to Yemen. Just hours before that the US government announced it has no plans to evacuate US citizens stuck in the war-town Yemen. “The Department urges US citizens to defer travel to Yemen and those US citizens currently living in Yemen to depart when you are able to safely do so,” says the travel advisory issued on Friday.
03 April 2015
Houthi rebels withdrew their forces from the Yemeni president’s palace in the port city of Aden, after overnight air raids waged by the Saudi-led coalition, a senior official told AFP. "The Houthi militia and their allies withdrew before dawn from the Al-Maashiq palace," the official said. A day earlier, the fighters seized the complex of palace villas after battling forces loyal to President Hadi.
A Chinese naval frigate has evacuated 225 people of ten nationalities from war-torn Yemen, its foreign ministry said, according to Reuters. The governments of Pakistan, Ethiopia, Singapore, Italy, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Britain, Canada and Yemen had requested China's help. A spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was the first time China's military had helped other countries evacuate their citizens from a danger zone.
Dozens of Yemeni military were killed in an attack on a military base by militants from Al-Qaeda’s Yemeni affiliate in the southeastern city of Al Mukalla, Al Arabiya reported. According to the TV-channel, all the servicemen panicked and fled the base. Earlier, terrorists stormed several government buildings in the city, including the central prison, freeing about 300 inmates, according to residents.
#BreakingNews : #Qaeda controls Special Security Forces base and HQ of 2nd army zone in #Mukalla. Locals are looting arms depot. #Yemen
— Saeed Al-Batati (@saeedalBatati) April 3, 2015
The Russian embassy in Yemen’s Sanaa is planning to evacuate about 80 Russia’s citizens, according to RIA Novosti. "The Russian diplomatic mission in Sanaa continues to work normally and is ready to cooperate in organizing additional flights to evacuate people from Yemen," the Foreign Ministry said, as cited by TASS. The embassy is also preparing to organize evacuation of citizens of Commonwealth of Independent States countries and other foreign nationals wanting to leave Yemen.
#Russia evacuated hundreds individuals from #Yemen, including nationals of #Belarus#Poland#Ukraine#Canadahttp://t.co/j1gfdEeZYX
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) April 3, 2015
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked Russia for evacuating Polish citizens from Yemen. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland expresses its gratitude to the Russian Federation for the evacuation of 20 people by air from Sanaa to Moscow on 3 April,” said a Polish MFA spokesman in an official statement, adding: “We appreciate the Russian side’s offer to help with evacuating a group of a dozen or so Poles.”
A Turkish naval frigate has evacuated 55 Turkish citizens from Aden, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter. The port city remains the last stronghold of fighters loyal to President Hadi, who fled the country eight days ago.
Saudi-led airstrikes led to the destruction of the main building of Sanaa International Airport, also referred to as El Rahaba Airport. Although the runway has remained undamaged, so planes can land and take off, it could still affect the evacuation operations of several countries.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that all Russian diplomats had been evacuated from Yemen’s port city of Aden, according to TASS. "We are taking all necessary measures to ensure the security of our citizens in Yemen," Lavrov told reporters.
Two weeks of chaos in Yemen has killed at least 519 people, many civilians and children among them, while another 1,700 people have been wounded, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos, said in a statement. She voiced concern for civilians caught in the crossfire – especially after neighboring Saudi Arabia with allies launched an air-campaign a week ago.
The first Russian aircraft sent to the Yemeni capital of Sanaa to evacuate civilians landed in Moscow with 162 passengers onboard early Friday morning, Sputnik reports. The evacuees include 120 Russians, 15 Belarusians, 10 Poles, 8 Ukrainians, 3 Kirghiz and Uzbek nationals, 2 Yemenis, and one Tadzhik passenger. Among them are more than 60 teenagers and 15 toddlers.
02 April 2015
Yemen's Houthi rebels failed to seize Aden, a Saudi-led coalition spokesman said, as reported by the KUNA news agency. They are still trying to take over one or two districts in the southern province. "The coalition forces are carrying [out] operations as planned," the spokesman added.
Former Yemeni President Saleh has no “role to play” in the country’s future, said the Saudi ambassador, as cited by Reuters. On Wednesday, Yemen's foreign minister said the country's main problem is not the Houthi fighters, but the former president. "For President Saleh there should not be any role. This is now the end of it after what he has done to our people and our country," Abdulla said.
Houthi rebels captured the presidential palace in Aden following heavy clashes in the commercial center of the port city on Thursday, AP reported, citing Yemeni security officials. Aden’s Maasheeq Palace includes a number of colonial-era villas, which served as the last haven to President Hadi before he fled the country last month.
Houthi militants are currently using the Russian Consulate General in Aden as “a combat operations center and a base,” a spokesperson for people's committees loyal to the Yemeni president, told Sputnik on Thursday. All the employees of the consulate have been evacuated to Djibouti, according to RIA Novosti.
A Saudi Arabian border guard was killed and 10 others were injured in clashes with Houthi militants at a checkpoint in the mountainous area near the Yemeni border, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday, according to the SPA state news agency. Corporal Salman Ali Yahya al-Maliki is the first known Saudi fatality in the Saudi-led military campaign that has been ongoing for a week.
#SaudiArabia: One KSA soldier killed, ten wounded from clashes on the border with Houthis. pic.twitter.com/CyYRoM2C81
— RK (@_RK_88_) April 2, 2015
The death toll in clashes in Aden has reached 44, AFP reported on Thursday, citing medical and military sources.
People in #Aden living under crazy shelling... Houthi-Saleh forces advancing South of the city #Yemenpic.twitter.com/vfHYrW3sBk
— Baraa Shiban (@BShtwtr) April 2, 2015
Two Russian planes carrying evacuees from the Yemeni capital are scheduled to get to Moscow late in the evening, Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said on Thursday, RIA Novosti reported. “Two planes are now in Sanaa airport. One has 167 people on board, including 60 children. It is taking off and flying via Cairo in a few minutes. The second is now being boarded by around 150 passengers.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented on the recent developments in Yemen, saying: “The UN Security Council must have its say on the termination of any violence in Yemen,” RIA Novosti reported on Thursday. He underlined it would be more preferable if a draft resolution on the situation in the country had preceded military actions.
Lavrov also told reporters about current efforts to alleviate the crisis calling for “representatives of all Yemeni parties, including the Yemeni president, the Houthis and other political powers in the country, to come to the negotiating table.”
01 April 2015
The Russian Consulate General in the Yemeni sea port city of Aden was damaged during airstrikes launched by the Saudi-led military coalition against the Houthi rebels, said a source at the embassy. “There is not a single intact window left,” the source told Sputnik, adding they had considered closing the consulate and evacuating Russian nationals.
A state-chartered Russian plane heading for the Yemeni capital Sanaa was diverted to Cairo, as the Saudi-led coalition reportedly refused landing permission. It left scores of Russian expats awaiting evacuation hanging about the airport. “The crew made contact with coalition forces while flying over the Red Sea,” Khaled Shayef, the director of Sanaa airport, told the Lebanon-based Mayadeen channel. “The coalition refused to allow landing in Sanaa and the plane had to fly to Cairo.”
Thirty-five workers were killed in a Yemeni dairy, as the Saudi-led coalition bombed Houthi rebel positions, authorities said, according to AP. It’s not clear which side is to blame as the airstrikes were targeting army camps in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, where anti-aircraft guns returned fire, leading to missiles hitting the dairy’s warehouses.
Saudi air airstrike is targeting a milk factory in Al-Hodeidah now #Yemen new pic of today bombing pic.twitter.com/lAtcZV0o1w
— Ahmad Algohbary (@AhmadAlgohbary) March 31, 2015
Thousands of people took to the streets of Sanaa to condemn the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. The protesters chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and its allies, and voiced their support for the Houthi rebels.
At least 62 Yemeni children were killed and 30 injured over the week of fighting, which has been escalated by a Saudi-led air campaign, the UN children's agency UNICEF said, according to AFP. "Children are in desperate need of protection, and all parties to the conflict should do all in their power to keep children safe," said UNICEF's representative for Yemen, Julien Harneis.
31 March 2015
A Saudi-led alliance will pursue an offensive against Houthi forces opposed to Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi until Yemen is stable, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said in remarks published on Tuesday.
"We are not the ones calling for war. But if you bang the drums of war, we are ready for it," the minister told the kingdom's Shura Council, according to the advisory body's Twitter feed.
The operation "will continue to defend legitimacy in Yemen until it achieves its aims, and Yemen is returned to security, stability and unity", he was quoted as saying. (Reuters)
30 March 2015
Horrifying RT @reportedly The footage of explosions coming out of Sanaa look like a volcano eruption at night. pic.twitter.com/WkPzadARyI#Yemen
— Laura Hammond (@lhammondsoas) March 30, 2015
Warships shelled a column of Houthi fighters and troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh as they tried to advance on the Yemen’s southern port city of Aden on Monday, residents told Reuters.
They said the vessels were believed to be from the Egyptian Navy, which sailed last week through the Suez Canal toward the Gulf of Aden to join the Saudi-led coalition.
The shelling was the first known instance of naval forces taking part in the conflict in Yemen.
Pakistani authorities are going to send troops to Saudi Arabia to join coalition against the Yemeni militants, a senior government official told Reuters.
"We have already pledged full support to Saudi Arabia in its operation against rebels and will join the coalition," the official said.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman said he is open to a meeting of all Yemeni political parties which are willing to preserve the country’s security and stability, state news agency SPA reports.
Such a meeting of should be held “under the umbrella of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the framework of preserving legitimacy and rejecting (attempts) to turn against it," a cabinet statement by the king said.
The conditions for the talks include returning weapons to Yemen’s state authorities and not threatening the security of the country’s neighbors, it added.
#Yemen#MSF calls all parties to spare civilians from violence and respect the neutrality of medical facilities and staff.
— Sophie Scott (@SophieTScott) March 30, 2015
Twenty-one people were killed when an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition hit the area of the Mazraq refugee camp in the northern Yemen, humanitarian workers told Reuters.
One humanitarian official said that the bombing had targeted a military installation nearby, but some of the missiles were off the mark.
China is evacuating its citizens from Yemen and suspending anti-piracy patrols in the area amid the growing violence in the Middle Eastern country.
Three Chinese navy ships were diverted to the port of Aden to rescue about 500 Chinese nationals caught in the conflict, state media reported on Monday, marking only the second time Chinese military assets have been used in such a mission.
China took the unprecedented step of dispatching one of its most sophisticated warships and military transport aircraft to help in the evacuation of about 35,000 Chinese citizens amid Libya's civil war in 2011.
No Chinese have been reported killed or injured in the fighting in Yemen that now threatens a potentially dangerous clash between U.S.-allied Arab states and Iran. (AP)
The Saudi-led coalition renewed bombing of Yemen's capital throughout Sunday, targeting its main international airport and bases controlled by rebel Shiite Houthi forces.
Arab leaders supporting the coalition stressed that the airstrikes will continue until rebels surrender and deposed Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi is reinstated into power.
This sentiment was expressed by Hadi, Yemen’s Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin, and Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi.
#Yemen- #OpDecisiveStorm - #Saudi lead air strike between on #Asser & #Subaha Mount that rock #Sanaa city -Report pic.twitter.com/VaRMYPcO8a
— Terrormonitor.org (@Terror_Monitor) March 30, 2015
29 March 2015
Saudi Arabia is concentrating on airstrikes against Iranian-allied Houthi fighters in Yemen and does not plan using ground troops, the country's ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir, said. “We haven't made a decision to send ground troops. So far, it has been an air campaign. We have a plan in motion and we are executing this plan," he told NBC on Sunday.
The ousted Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi will return to the country in the coming days, presidential office spokesman Muhammed Marm told Sputnik. "Hadi's residence in the city of Aden was destroyed. Right now we are reconstructing it. When we finish, we, together with the president, will come back," Marm said. Hadi left the country's southern city of Aden on Thursday, where he had been holing up since fleeing Houthi custody in February. However, Saudi state TV said Hadi had arrived in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and would later head to Egypt under Saudi protection.
Houthi militants have released 1,800 inmates from jail in Saada province, northwestern Yemen, and attempted to release detainees held in Yemen's central prison and facilities in other cities, Al Arabiya TV reported.
India is preparing to airlift stranded citizens from Yemen despite the bombing of the country’s main international airport, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said. Some 4,100 Indians are still in Yemen, including 3,100 in Sanaa and 500 in Aden.
"Today we got permission to fly from Sanaa for three hours a day. We will use this slot for evacuating our citizens every day," Swaraj said on Twitter.
Yemen - Today we got permission to fly from Sanaa for three hours a day. We will use this slot for evacuating our citizens every day.
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 29, 2015
The Chinese are evacuating their diplomats and expats. A warship docked just off the port city of Aden on Sunday is to help in the procedure, according to Reuters. The previous day the Saudi navy was evacuating dozens of other foreign diplomats.
Some 35 people were killed in the Saudi-led airstrikes overnight, with a further 88 wounded, the local health ministry reported. They "fell during the Saudi aggression on Yemen in the provinces of Sanaa, Saada and Hodeidah," director of medical emergencies Ali Saree told local news, according to Reuters.
24 killed, 43 injured in 24hrs in #Yemen; UN staff, diplomats evacuated http://t.co/0jACmYzw7npic.twitter.com/EvUHoh3F3t
— RT (@RT_com) March 28, 2015
At least 50 Houthis have been killed in clashes with armed tribal forces in the Shabwa Province of Yemen, Al-Arabiya reported.
Arab leaders in Egypt have announced the formation of a unified regional force to counter security threats, following a draft communique that outlined the strategy. "The Arab ... ministers agreed on adopting an important principle, which is forming the unified Arab military force," Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby said at the meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh. "The task of the force will be rapid military intervention to deal with security threats to Arab nations," he added. Egyptian media reported earlier that Elaraby was asked to coordinate with the other army chiefs and begin forming a unified army within the month.
The Saudi air strike campaign on the Shiite rebels has made considerable strides in removing them from contested air bases and taking out the remaining jet fighters, according to state-run media.
Saudi-led airtsrikes cause huge explosions in Hodeida, on Yemen's Red Sea coast. (Photos @Safa_Ez) pic.twitter.com/fnqUwx9mG1
— JL News Alert (@JLNewsAlert) March 29, 2015
Explosions and antiaircraft fire heard in #Sanaa#Yemen
— Amal Al-Yarisi (@AmalAlYarisi) March 29, 2015
after last UN staff left from sanaa international airport today,it was just struck by Saudi/US led air strikes pic.twitter.com/VzQvDX5jYT
— Hussain Albukhaiti (@HussainBukhaiti) March 28, 2015
READ MORE: UN staff, diplomats evacuated from Yemen as 24 killed in airstrikes
28 March 2015
The Saudi-led coalition resumed its airstrikes over Yemen, taking out an airport runway in the western Yemeni city Hudaydah, Sputnik cited a local source as saying.
“In response to the bombing of the airport in Hudaydah, Yemeni air defense forces have been returning fire for half an hour, but despite that the airport’s runway has been destroyed,” the source said.
Locals living near the airport have evacuated their homes, according to the source.
Witnesses are reporting a new wave of airstrikes in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, with some reports describing a large blaze at the airport.
Taken by Abdullah Alruwaishan #Yemen#Sanaa#Decisive_Stormpic.twitter.com/MHxOATSE7B
— Safa Ezadden (@Safa_Ez) March 28, 2015
At least nine people were killed when a number of explosions rocked an arms depot in Aden on Saturday.
The next phase of the Saudi-led operation against Houthi fighters may involve Arab ground forces, Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyadh Yaseen said on Saturday, Reuters reported. Commenting on the possibility of a ground invasion, he said: “This is possible. Very possible.” Yaseen also said that Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi would stay in an Arab capital until the situation in Yemen changes.
A Saudi-led military operation has targeted a Houthi base, located south of the capital city of Sanaa, with an armory of long-range missiles, pointing toward the port city of Aden and neighboring countries, a Yemeni official told Reuters on Saturday. The official claimed that Yemeni authorities have learned that parts for the missiles were imported by Iranian experts.
Explosions at Aden's largest arms depot have been reported by eyewitnesses. A Reuters correspondent saw fire and explosions at the Jabal Hadeed compound, which is close to residential and commercial properties.
#عاجل#عدن الان الساعة 2 ونصف ظهراً بتوقيت عدن قصف #جبل_حديدpic.twitter.com/KKheUCGneT
— Yasser Al.yafai (@yasser_alyazidi) March 28, 2015
Yemen’s fugitive President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has called on the army to protect state institutions and carry out the orders of the "legitimate leadership," Reuters reports. He has also called Houthi rebels “Iran’s puppets.”
Saudi Arabia's King Salman said at the summit of Arab leaders that the military campaign in Yemen against Houthi fighters would continue until its aims are achieved, Reuters reports.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi has called for the creation of a joint Arab army at a summit of Arab leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh, AP reports.
READ MORE: Arab nations move closer to unified military force as Yemen conflict escalates
Egypt is being part of the Saudi-led coalition which launched an airstrikes campaign against Houthi rebels. Before the summit, al-Sissi met with Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Yemen's President Abdel Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled he country on Thursday.
#BREAKING : Hadi: I call upon #Yemen -i people to support the constitutional legitimacy of the country, resist #Houthi rebels. #ArabSummit"
— Hasan Sari (@HasanSari7) March 28, 2015
Twenty-four people were killed and 43 injured as a result of Saudi-led airstrikes over the last 24 hours, Yemen’s Saba state news agency reported the Interior Ministry saying in a statement.
The United Nations is evacuating its staff from the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, due to the deteriorating security situation, Reuters reports, citing a source in the UN.
The source said the staff, numbering more than 100, were heading to the airport and were expected to relocate to several countries including Jordan.
Saudi Arabian Defense Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman Saud said earlier on Saturday, that three Saudi aircraft were sent to evacuate a UN mission in Sanaa, Al Arabiya reported.
Saudi-led air forces attacked a convoy of Houthi armored vehicles, tanks and military trucks early Saturday, Reuters reported, citing witnesses. The convoy was traveling on the coastal road from the Arabian Sea town of Shaqra toward Aden in southern Yemen. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the airstrike, and no details on any casualties were immediately available.
Saudi Arabia's navy has evacuated 86 Arab and Western diplomats from Yemen's southern city of Aden, Al Arabiya reports, adding that the evacuation mission involved two navy ships, as well as planes and commandos.
"The Saudi Royal Navy implemented an operation called Hurricane to evacuate dozens of diplomats, including Saudis, from Aden," a news ticker on the state news broadcaster read, according to Reuters.
The state TV also reported that the diplomats had arrived safely at Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Jeddah.
#BREAKING : 86 #Saudi , Arab & foreign diplomats evacuated from #Aden by Saudi vessels, planes & commandos reach #Jedda Saudi Port. #Yemen"
— Hasan Sari (@HasanSari7) March 28, 2015
Houthi rebels are moving artillery units closer to the border with Saudi Arabia, RIA Novosti cited Al Jazeera as saying.
A Saudi Arabia-led coalition jet was downed in Al Hatarish area near country's capital Sanaa, a local source told Sputnik.
Footage allegedly showing Yemeni Houthi rebels celebrating on the wreckage of a downed coalition jet has appeared on YouTube and Twitter.
According to (Houthis) Al-Masirah TV , a fighter jet was downed northern #Sanaa by air defences #Decisive_Stormpic.twitter.com/wuKl56JXDx
— Ali Hashem علي هاشم (@alihashem_tv) March 27, 2015
.
#aden is seeing a massive street battle and many looting and robbery #Yemen
— Mazen Al-Hebshi (@MazenAlHebshi) March 28, 2015
Panic has gripped the Yemeni capital Sanaa amid a major power blackout in the southern part of the city, Sputnik news agency reports. Residents fear the Saudi-led bombing of military bases and depots might lead to severe destruction in civilian areas.
My sisters now huddling in dark hallway, power-cut, 3 sleepless nights, terrified #Yemen#Sanaa#OpDecisiveStorm :( pic.twitter.com/Y2Qy4woOFN
— Sara Ishaq سارةإسحاق (@SaraHJIshaq) March 28, 2015
@Shahidmasooddr Footage by a resident in Sanaa, Yemen. pic.twitter.com/xFKPr7uiPj
— Ray (@RayhanPTI) March 28, 2015
Intense Saudi-led bombing is targeting military bases in Sanaa, including the base of the Yemeni Republican Guard and a missile depot, a local source told Sputnik new agency.
At least three people have been killed and nine injured in the bombing, which is the heaviest since the start of the operation, according to the report.
“Unprecedentedly strong attacks are being carried out with the aim of destroying the Yemeni army, and in particular its elite units,” the source said, adding that local anti-aircraft forces are responding to the attacks.
#Yemen#sanaa da bombardıman devam ediyor. Bu seferki çok siddetli. Dumanlar yükseliyor, havada barut kokusu var pic.twitter.com/4rY7qSKxee
— khaldender (@myystifyy) March 28, 2015
Loud explosions and large blasts are reported on Twitter as Saudi-led coalition aircraft are again bombing the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. The air attack is reportedly targeting the Houthi-held “missile base.”
Large blasts in South West #Sanaa targeting Missile Base. Huge fire captured by @yemen_updates reporter #Yemenpic.twitter.com/16u158i33V
— Conflict News (@rConflictNews) March 28, 2015
Video from #Yemen tonight: RT @assamawy: #Sanaa#now#عاصفة_الحزم#videopic.twitter.com/64Y5kvDoOl
— reported.ly (@reportedly) March 28, 2015
US President Barack Obama spoke to Saudi King Salman, reasserting American support for Saudi Arabia’s actions in Yemen, as well as the steps taken by the rest of the coalition, the White House said in a statement.
During the conversation, both leaders agreed that stability in Yemen is the main goal and should be achieved through a negotiated political solution. Obama also stressed American commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security.
27 March 2015
Shiite Houthi forces shot down a Saudi Arabia-led coalition jet in the north of Yemen’s capital Sanaa, Al Mayadeen TV channel reported, adding that a Sudanese pilot was arrested.
Another report from NBC said the US military rescued two Saudi pilots after they ejected from a F-15 fighter jet over the Gulf of Aden during a mission in Yemen.
The aircraft allegedly suffered a “mechanical problem.” The rescue mission took around two hours.
Saudi-led coalition air strikes continued to target Houthi positions in Sanaa, Friday, with gunfire ringing out through the Yemeni capital.
Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has arrived in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh for an Arab League summit on Friday, Egyptian state TV reported, according to Reuters. On Thursday, Hadi left the port city of Aden for Saudi Arabia, as Houthi rebels fought with his forces in the south of the country.
“I think it’s a risky gamble, and it’s hard to predict exactly. I think the longer the war goes on, the population would turn against the invasion, but if they can make it quick and defeat who they think are their enemies, they’ll have the support – short-term, I believe,” Dr. Franklin Lamb, director of Americans Concerned for Middle East Peace, told RT.
Yemen is in possession of missiles capable of hitting targets deep inside Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Hassan Asafari, an Iranian MP, told the Fars news agency.
"Saudi Arabia is well aware that the Yemeni people and armed forces are capable of targeting the military bases of Saudi Arabia at a distance of 500 kilometers inside that country," said Asafari, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.
Asafari urged UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council to condemn the Saudi airstrikes on Yemen, saying that Riyadh “would never dare take such grave action alone, and it has surely committed the crime after receiving a green light from the US."
At least 21 Yemeni Shia rebels were killed Friday as residents of a tribal southern region opened fire at their vehicles, a local official and witnesses told AFP. The attack on Houthi forces took place some 15 kilometers north of the city of Aden, where President Hadi was staying before he fled the country.
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Saudi Arabia felt it necessary to intervene in Yemen to stop an Iranian-backed regime taking over.
"The Saudis are very exercised by the idea of an Iranian-backed regime in Yemen," he said. "They cannot accept the idea of an Iranian-backed regime in control of Yemen, which is why they felt compelled to intervene the way they have."
"We know there has been Iranian support for the Houthi and we are all concerned to avoid this becoming a proxy war," he added.
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said that Saudi Arabia cannot accept the situation where Yemen is controlled by an "Iranian-backed regime" so they felt obliged to intervene, Reuters reported on Friday. Hammond recently visited the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, where he expressed the UK's support for Hadi as “Yemen’s legitimate president.”
Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyadh Yaseen doesn’t exclude the possibility of a dialogue with Houthi rebels, despite a Saudi-led military operation against them. He told Reuters on Friday that "Dialogue was necessary and it still is. [But] it has to be dialogue that is under the [principle] of the legitimacy of the president and the state and not legitimacy of coups and militias."
Houthi rebels and their supporters in the Yemeni military have regained control over a military base in the town of Bijan in southern Shabwa province on Friday, Tass news agency reports. According to Al-Manar TV, that military facility has been occupied by Islamist extremists linked to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyadh Yaseen says he expects the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen to last days rather than weeks.
In response to a question regarding how long the operation, which is currently in its second day, would last, Yaseen said, “I expect that this operation will not go on for long, I think it will be days,” he told the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television channel.
India is preparing for a possible sea and air evacuation of around 3,500 of its citizens who are currently in Yemen. If the plan goes ahead, they will leave the country through the port of Al Hodeida, which is currently held by Houthi anti-government forces, NDTV reports. About 2,500 Indians are estimated to be in or near the capital Sanaa. Earlier this week, the Foreign Ministry issued its third advisory this year for Indians to leave the country.
In discussions with Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reaffirmed the need to try and find a peaceful solution to the long lasting disputes in Yemen, the Kremlin has said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has condemned the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Yemen, saying everyone should be encouraging dialogue and national reconciliation. Zarif is currently in Lausanne, Switzerland for talks concerning Iran’s nuclear program.
"We have condemned them (air strikes). They have to stop. Everybody has to encourage dialogue and national reconciliation in Yemen rather than making it more difficult for Yemenis to come together," Zarif told reporters.
Arab leaders are meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh with the aim of creating a joint Arab military force, AP reports. It has been a longtime goal since they signed a defense pact 65 years ago. This comes on the back of a Saudi Arabian-led coalition that has launched airstrikes against anti-government Houthi forces in Yemen.
At least 39 civilians have died in over a day of airstrikes led by Saudi military forces against Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to the rebel-controlled ministry, as quoted by AFP.
Saudi Arabia stated it had resumed flights at seven southern airports, a day after bringing air traffic to halt and conducting strikes against Houthi fighters in Yemen, Reuters reported.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has spoken with Saudi Arabian King Salman over the phone, in which he received information concerning the Yemen military campaign, according to presidential sources.
Ankara says it is backing the Saudi-led coalition’s military offensive against anti-government Houthi forces.
Meanwhile Pakistani politician Imran Khan, who is the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (movement for justice), said Islamabad should play a leading role in the peace talks rather than joining the Saudi-led coalition in their military operation against the anti-government Houthi forces.
On going in for US-Saudi alliance to fight in Yemen: Has Pakistan not suffered enough by participating in others' wars? 1/3
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 27, 2015
Posting on Twitter, the former cricket legend said, “has Pakistan not suffered enough by participating in other wars,” and “We already have a huge sectarian issue in Pakistan and our country has suffered enough in the last 10 yrs.”
3/3 We already have a huge sectarian issue in Pakistan and our country has suffered enough in the last 10 yrs.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 27, 2015
Pakistan says it has still not made a decision whether to provide military support to the Saudi-led coalition.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asid told parliament, "We have made no decision to participate in this war. We didnt make any promise. We have not promised any military support to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.”
"In Syria, Yemen and Iraq, division is being fuelled and it needs to be contained. The crisis has its fault lines in Pakistan too, (we) don't want to disturb them,” Reuters reports.
Yemen’s President Abd-Rabbu left the southern city of Aden late on Thursday to take refuge in Saudi Arabia, which has been confirmed by Reuters.
Photos of #Yemen's Hadi arriving in Saudi, met by def min MbS. Hadi looks oddly pleased with himself. pic.twitter.com/U41CMqn0xy
— Sam Wilkin (@WilkinReports) March 27, 2015
There were conflicting reports of his location for much of Thursday, with some reports saying he was in Oman, while others said he had fled to sea. It was also mentioned he could be travelling to Egypt.
Warplanes have struck the Yemeni capital Sanaa and the Houthi controlled north of the country. Residents say the planes targeted Republican Guards bases around Sanaa, including on near the presidential compound in the south of the city.
Airstrikes targeted Al-Samaa military base north of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which is used by army units believed to be loyal to Ahmed Ali Saleh, AFP reported. A camp at al-Istiqbal – at the city’s western entrance – is said to have been bombed earlier.
Meanwhile, clashes were reported in the southern port of Aden – the stronghold of deposed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi – with airstrikes also targeting Houthi rebel positions there, including Al-Anad airbase.
"@RamiSafadi93: Video of air strikes on Houthi controlled air base in Sanaa yesterday. #Yemenpic.twitter.com/PlfYVZBHR1"
— naeemawan (@awan817) March 27, 2015
131 Brigade in Kitaf Sa'ada, just got hit by an air strike #Yemen
— Baraa Shiban (@BShtwtr) March 27, 2015
Presidential Palace in #Sanaa under heavy attack by the air strikes #Yemen
— Baraa Shiban (@BShtwtr) March 27, 2015
Reports coming from Yemen claim a Houthi militia carried out attacks on Saudi Arabian positions on the country’s border early Friday.
“They carried out small attacks and returned, now they are under attack,” a Houthi source told RIA Novosti, referring to airstrikes.
Coalition jets continue to carry out sorties in Sanaa, with Houthi forces trying to “repel” them with anti-aircraft weapons, military sources told Sputnik news agency.
Loud explosions can be heard as airstrikes have resumed in Yemen’s capital Sanaa and the city of Saada, targeting anti-aircraft positions, RIA Novosti cited a correspondent as saying.
#Breaking: #Saudi-led coalition launches airstrikes on targets in #Sanaapic.twitter.com/pnDmnIr7Mu
— Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) March 27, 2015
Sound of the explosions coming from the northern side of #Sanaa . I believe its more than one craft bombing now. #yemen#OpDecisiveStorm
— Nasser Maweri (@NasserMaweri) March 26, 201
BREAKING: Airstrikes resume on Yemen's capital #Sanaa
— Ruptly Newsroom (@RuptlyNewsroom) March 26, 2015
26 March 2015
The Saudi Arabia-led navy forces began their blockade of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, at the tip of the Red Sea, Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram cited sources as saying. The blockade comes despite earlier promises by US Army General Lloyd Austin that the strait would remain open for shipping.
Iran and Russia have called on Saudi Arabia to halt airstrikes on Yemen.
Speaking to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Russia’s Vladimir Putin called for an "immediate cessation of military activities" in Yemen and increased efforts to find a peaceful solution to the crisis, the Kremlin said in a statement on Thursday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that military operations against Yemen will only lead to further destabilization of the region. “We demand an immediate stop to the Saudi military operations in Yemen,” he said in an interview with Iran's Arabic-language al-Alam news network on Thursday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the US is guilty of double standards in its support of President Hadi, who fled Yemen, as it has provided no assistance to ousted President Yanukovich. “In both cases we have to move towards a national reunion,” Lavrov said, as quoted by TASS.
A video posted on YouTube claims that Sanaa is currently being bombed while the city’s power is out.
Middle East analyst Sami Ramadani told RT there are no legal grounds for the Saudi-led intervention.
In his first public comment on the current airstrikes, the leader of the Houthi group said the Yemeni people would confront "criminal, unjust and unjustified aggression" by Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported. "Our Yemeni people are more resolved and determined to defend themselves, to defend their freedom and defend its dignity," Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said in a speech broadcast by his group's al-Masirah TV-channel.
Saudi Arabia has no immediate plans to launch ground operations in Yemen, Reuters reported, citing a military spokesman. Yet allied forces are ready to battle on the ground, should it be necessary, as well as prevent the Houthis from receiving any foreign supplies until the Storm of Resolve operation ends.
A State Department spokesman said the US promotes a “negotiated solution” to the situation in Yemen, yet understands the reasons behind the Saudi military action, Reuters reported. "We understand the Saudis' concerns, the threat that they perceive on their border to which they're responding, and we're supportive of their efforts to address that," Jeff Rathke said at a briefing.
Deputy Spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, Farhan Haq, said in a statement that Ban Ki-moon believes that peace talks remain the only means to put an end to the Yemeni crisis. "We are aware of what is happening. We are trying to learn more details," Haq said, reminding that on Sunday the UN Security Council called upon all parties of the conflict, as well as member states, “to refrain from taking any actions that undermine the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen.”
Egypt has been using 16 fighter planes and a frigate in the military operation in Yemen, according to Al-Arabiya, Tass reported. The UAE has deployed 30 fighter jets, Bahrain 15, Kuwait 15, Qatar 10 and Jordan 6 warplanes, the news channel reported.
Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi arrived in Saudi capital Riyadh on Thursday, according to Saudi state TV Al Ekhbariya, Reuters reported. He fled Yemen by sea on Wednesday, as the rebels approached his refuge in the southern port of Aden and captured its airport. Hadi is expected to attend an Arab summit in Egypt on Saturday, Saudi-based Al Arabiya TV reported.
Warplanes from Saudi Arabia and its allies struck Houthi fighters in the remote province of Saada, which is considered to be home to the Shia group, in the north of Yemen, tribal and Houthi sources told Reuters. According to the sources, the bombs targeted a Houthi post in the al-Minzala district.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Iran and other “terrorist groups” should withdraw from Yemen.
"Turkey may consider providing logistical support based on the evolution of the situation," Erdogan told France 24 in an interview.
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that military action was no solution to the crisis in Yemen, Reuters reported. “I'm convinced that military action is not a solution," Mogherini said in a statement. "At this critical juncture, all regional actors should act responsibly and constructively, to create as a matter of urgency the conditions for a return to negotiations.”
A number of sources are saying that the Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi has left Yemen and is travelling to the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh for a planned Arab League summit.
Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia plans to beef up security at its borders and around oil and industrial facilities, state news agency SPA reported on Thursday, citing a statement by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.
Prince Mohammed, who is also the interior minister, had stressed "strengthening all security measures on the borders of the kingdom and in all public utilities and around the oil and industrial facilities," at a meeting to review security developments in Yemen, SPA said.
The US military says it will work alongside its Gulf and European partners, to make sure the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, at the tip of the Red Sea, remains open for shipping. Egypt said earlier on Thursday; it would be sending four warships to the region.
"We would work in conjunction with our GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) partners to ensure that those straits remain open," US Army General Lloyd Austin told a Senate hearing.
"It is one of our core interests to ensure that we have free flow of commerce through both straits," he added, referring to Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah has condemned Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen in a statement, Reuters reported. The radical Islamic group has called on Saudi Arabia and its allies to immediately halt “this unjust aggression,” and has joined Iran and Syria in saying that Saudi actions will increase tension in the region.
News reports from Saudi Arabia claim that Riyadh has amassed in the region of 150,000 troops near the Yemen border in preparation for a possible ground invasion. However, Charles Schmitz, who is a Middle East expert, says the Saudi military is "notoriously unreliable" and it is unlikely they would do well in Yemen.
“Saudi Arabia has a long involvement inside of Yemen, it has a lot of contacts, there are a lot people who support Saudi Arabia inside of Yemen. I’m not sure what their military involvement will be. Their military is notoriously unreliable and in a Yemeni context, I don’t think it’s going to do very well. So I’m not sure what their objectives are,” he told RT.
The Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, has called on Saudi Arabia to show restraint in its bombing campaign in Yemen.
Essential that Saudis, not known for attentiveness to rights, spare civilians in Yemen bombing http://t.co/rNkUccn9RXpic.twitter.com/uE7yxM3nvr
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) March 26, 2015
Muhammad Al-Attab, who is a journalist basked in Sanaa is witnessing the protests, spoke to RT and mentioned when the Houthis first took over the capital, there was no reaction from the public.
“There were attempts to divide the Arab lands into sectarian regions. However, over the last two days, the Houthis, supported by the army divisions, tried to prevent these divisions This is why Saudi Arabia took such quick and decisive action to try and reinstate the illegitimate president (Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi) and also divide Yemen between south and north,” he said.
The protest rally in Sanaa is still continuing, with many chanting "death to America" and "death to Israel."
In anti #Saudi rally , houthi leader "Arab people will not be mercenaries and salves for the Saudi money and oil" pic.twitter.com/GzLDfHV6Ez
— Nasser Atta (@nasseratta5) March 26, 2015
The Yemeni capital Sanaa is experiencing shortages of gas, while there is also no electricity. Many residents of the city are trying to flee, as they fear more bombing raids.
No electricity & no gas for cars/generators - long lines for gas now - severe shortage in capital Sana'a #Yemenhttps://t.co/WGaOtdW16x
— Hisham Al-Omeisy (@omeisy) March 26, 2015
Mass protests are taking place in the Yemeni capital Sanaa against the Saudi-led bombing raids on the country.
WATCH LIVE: Massive protest in #Sanaa amidst #Saudi-led airstrikes on #Yemenhttp://t.co/IcwnYlDAKcpic.twitter.com/tXX4UruuFk
— RT (@RT_com) March 26, 2015
The foreign policy head of the European Union, Frederica Mogherini says military action will not provide a solution to the crisis in Yemen. She urged regional powers to act responsibly after a Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes against anti-government Houthi forces.
"I'm convinced that military action is not a solution," Mogherini said in a statement. "At this critical juncture all regional actors should act responsibly and constructively, to create as a matter of urgency the conditions for a return to negotiations."
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called on all sides involved in the Yemeni conflict to obey the wars of law, as the agency voiced concerns of reports of civilian casualties following airstrikes. The ICRC said they have donated supplies to hospitals in Taiz and Aden.
Two foreign warplanes have crashed in Yemen according to source that is close to the Houthi anti-government forces and is a member of the Yemen Revolutionary Committee. The source, which was cited by the Iranian IRNA news agency, also stated that around 30 planes took part in bombing missions and the reported participation of 100 aircraft in the attacks are “sheer lies.”
The Arab League has pledged its full support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen.
Its secretary-general, Nabil Elaraby, said the operation was directed against specific Houthi targets based on a request by Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi.
Kuwait says it is increasing security around its oil facilities both inside and outside the country after the Saudi-led operation in Yemen.
"In the light of developments in Yemen and to protect the strategic interests of the oil sector and securing oil products for inside and outside several procedures and precautionary steps taken," official Kuwaiti news agency KUNA quoted the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation acting chief executive officer Mohammad al-Farhoud as saying.
These measures include "securing all industrial safety and security requirements and raising the level of security measures and to intensify the protection of oil installations in Kuwait and abroad," he added, according to Reuters.
Freelance journalist and analyst, Hassan Al-Haifi spoke to RT about the current situation in his native Yemen. He said there have been a number of civilian casualties as a result of the Saudi-led airstrikes and blames Rihyad and Washington for inflaming the situation in the Gulf.
“Iran is a long way from Yemen so there is not much they can do. What we are hoping is that Iran can look to apply some diplomatic pressure, with the help of Russia, to stop this senseless aggression against the Yemeni people,” he said.
“I think we were on the road to becoming a success story because we have managed to halt terrorist activity from Sanaa to Aden and this is what is upsetting the Saudi’s because they are the real force behind terrorism,” Al-Haifi concluded.
These were some of the targets the Saudi-led coalition looked to hit this morning.
#SaudiAirStrikes on #Houthi controlled airbases in Yemen this morning. pic.twitter.com/KsUQSUnGA4
— Daniel Nisman (@DannyNis) March 26, 2015
A picture of the Yemeni capital Sanaa. Northern parts of the city were hit by airstrikes from the Saudi-led coalition.
From the national anthem: "And my heartbeat, will forever be Yemeni". The capital Sanaa minutes ago. #Yemenpic.twitter.com/15SGXm38EC
— Ammar Al-Aulaqi (@ammar82) March 26, 2015
US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with the foreign ministers of the countries involved in the Saudi-led coalition via conference call and praised their work in carrying out military action against the Houthi anti-government forces in Yemen.
Kerry spoke with GCC re #Yemen this am, state readout pic.twitter.com/oRGMTjMK9D
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) March 26, 2015
Egyptian sources say the country is sending four naval vessels to Yemen to help to secure the vital sea passage between the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal.
The sources said they expected the vessels to reach the Red Sea by Thursday evening.
The Flight Radar website, which tracks planes around the world in real time shows aircraft are completely avoiding Yemen airspace.
Flight radar website shows that flight navigation has stopped completetly above #Yemenpic.twitter.com/VvCmbsN1LI
— SaadAbedine (@SaadAbedine) March 26, 2015
Turkey has called on the anti-government Houthi forces and their “foreign supporters” to abandon acts, which threaten peace and security in the region.
Egypt took part in the Saudi-led military campaign against anti-government Houthi forces in Yemen, according to Egyptian military sources. They said Egypt provided naval and air support.
A photo from AFP showing the destruction caused by the Saudi-led airstrikes near the Yemeni capital Sanaa.
#Yemen: Yemenis look for survivors under the rubble after #Saudi air strikes against Huthi rebels near #Sanaa airport pic.twitter.com/LaWZBNRmLl
— Talar Kalajian (@TalarKala) March 26, 2015
Britain has given its backing to the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, but says that ultimately a political solution needs to be found to end the violence.
"We support the Saudi Arabian military intervention in Yemen following President Hadi's request for support by 'all means and measures to protect Yemen and deter Houthi aggression," the Foreign Office said in a statement.
"The recent Houthi actions and expansion in Aden and Taiz is a further signal of their disregard for the political process. Ultimately, the solution to the crisis must be a political one."
Syria has blasted the Saudi-led airstrikes aimed at Houthi rebels in Yemen as “blatant aggression.”
"Gulf war planes led by the regime of the Saudi family launch a blatant aggression on Yemen," read a headline carried on the website of the state news agency SANA, according to Reuters.
A source close to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi has denied reports he has fled Yemen to neighboring Oman.
"Hadi is still in Aden in southern Yemen," the source, requesting anonymity, told the Turkish Anadolu news agency.
The pro-Houthi Al Massira television channel reported earlier that Hadi had fled Yemen to Oman.
Houthi rebels are offering a $93,000 bounty for Hadi, who they describe as a "fugitive."
Republican senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham have given their backing to the Saudi-led airstrikes, but also hit out at the US for a perceived lack of leadership in the region.
"We understand why our Saudi and other Arab partners felt compelled to take action. The prospect of radical groups like Al-Qaeda, as well as Iranian-backed militants, finding safe haven on the border of Saudi Arabia was more than our Arab partners could withstand," the senators said in a joint statement.
"Their action also stems from their perception of America's disengagement from the region and absence of US leadership," they wrote.
The President of Yemen Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi has been denied entrance to Oman, a local border police official has told the Sputnik news agency.
"President Hadi has returned to Yemen after being denied entrance to the Sultanate of Oman," the source said.
Another local source told Sputnik that Hadi recently arrived in the city of Al Mukalla in the center of the country and could be heading to Saudi Arabia.
Ammar Al-Aulaqi, who is a political activist based in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, has been tweeting a number of photos from the scene. He says that a number of families are trying to leave the city and that the people of Sanaa are feeling "confused."
Got questioned and almost detained for taking these photos of damage to special forces base west of Sanaa. pic.twitter.com/L3dngPjcph
— Ammar Al-Aulaqi (@ammar82) March 26, 2015
The death toll in Yemen following the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes has risen to 65, according to local government sources.
“65 people, including women and children have been killed in residential areas in the north of the capital Sanaa and in Sadah. Search and rescue teams are trying to help pull people from the rubble,” a local official told the Sputnik news agency.
Some pictures of the devastation that the airstrikes from the Saudi Arabian led airstrikes in the capital of Yemen, Sanaa.
“@HussainBukhaiti: in this neighbourhood north of Sanaa many women and children were killed. pic.twitter.com/Tqpvu8hitT”
— Yemen Updates (@yemen_updates) March 26, 2015
The Houthi controlled Almasirah television station is reporting that the President of Yemen Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi has fled the country and is now in Oman.
President Hadi arrived #Oman. Via ( Houthie TV) almasirah TV #Yemen
— Nasser Atta (@nasseratta5) March 26, 2015
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has suspended international and domestic flights from seven airports in the south of the country, following airstrikes against Houthi rebels, according to aviation officals.
The airports affected include Jizan, Abha and Wadi al- Dawaser, the General Authority of Civil Aviation said in a brief statement.
The Houthi controlled Almasirah television station is reporting that the President of Yemen Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi has fled the country and is now in Oman.
President Hadi arrived #Oman. Via ( Houthie TV) almasirah TV #Yemen
— Nasser Atta (@nasseratta5) March 26, 2015
Yemen has shut all major sea ports due to the escalating conflict, according to industry and local sources, Reuters reports.
"All major seaports were shut down on Thursday due to the rising conflict," said an industry source. Local sources in Yemen confirmed the closure.
Yemen exports about 1.4-1.5 million barrels of Masila crude each month, mainly to China.
The Houthi Revolution Committee has called for a mass protest on Thursday afternoon to protest against the Saudi Arabia led coalition, which is launching airstrikes against the anti-government rebels.
#Houthi Revolution Committee calls for a massive protest today afternoon against the GCC coalition war on #Yemen.
— Yemen Updates (@yemen_updates) March 26, 2015
Saudi Arabia has hinted that a ground offensive maybe needed to restore order in Yemen, according to a source who is familiar with Saudi defense matters. Riyadh has already launched airstrikes against Houthi rebels.
"We can't get our objectives in restarting the legitimate government by controlling the sky of Yemen ... a land offensive might be needed to restore order," the source told Reuters.
This tweet from the Saudi Arabian television channel Al Arabiya shows which nations are taking part in the offensive against the Shiite rebels in Yemen.
So, which countries are participating in the Saudi-led #OpDecisiveStorm coalition? http://t.co/6a8bYkIfCKpic.twitter.com/PU9R1sY5dz
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) March 26, 2015
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has demanded an immediate halt to all military “aggressions” in Yemen, according to the Fars news agency.
"Iran wants an immediate halt to all military aggressions and air strikes against Yemen and its people ... Military actions in Yemen, which faces a domestic crisis, ... will further complicate the situation ... and will hinder efforts to resolve the crisis through peaceful ways," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said.
Moscow has called on all sides in the Yemen conflict including foreign backers to cease all forms of military attacks immediately, the Russian Foreign Ministry says. It adds that only regional dialogue can help to defuse the situation.
Daniel Nisman, who is a security analyst focusing on the Eastern Mediterranean says the Saudi coalition seems to be a lot more organized than the US assembled coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
#Saudi-assembled coalition against #Houthis seems far more robust than the anti-ISIS coalition, including number of countries and airpower.
— Daniel Nisman (@DannyNis) March 26, 2015
Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is still in Aden, is in good spirits following the Saudi led coalition airstrikes on Houthi rebel positions, according to media reports.
“This operation has restored people’s determination” to fight the Houthis, Mohammed Marem, director of Hadi’s office, told Reuters.
“The president is in high spirits and thanks Gulf countries, Egypt, Jordan and Sudan and all countries in the region,” he said, adding that the operation was directed mainly against Houthi air defenses in the north of Yemen.
Jordan has committed military planes to the Saudi Arabian led coalition in Yemen. However, Amman says it does not know if they will provide ground troops to the mission.
#BreakingNews Jordanian official declines to comment if the kingdom will provide ground forces http://t.co/dqKrn63Srf#OpDecisiveStorm
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) March 26, 2015
Oil prices have surged by as much as six percent following the unrest in Yemen. The world’s biggest oil exporter is currently launching airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Brent crude is trading at $59.71 a barrel during trading in Asia, while the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate is trading at around $51 a barrel.
We have some video in of Saudi Arabian planes getting ready to carry out airstrikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen. The Kingdom has committed around 100 aircraft to help the Yemeni government in their fight against the Shia rebels.
Pakistan said it has been asked by Saudi Arabia to provide troops to help fight Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia contacts Pakistan to provide assistance in #Yemen: Foreign Office Spokesperson http://t.co/3Y3UcSQSt3pic.twitter.com/lqXWOzgdfm
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) March 26, 2015
"We have been contacted by Saudi Arabia," said spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam in response to a question about whether Pakistan would send troops. "The matter is being examined."
This map gives a good idea how much ground the Houthi rebels have managed to take, since they seized the capital Sanaa in September. Government forces re-took Aden airport on Thursday morning, which is right in the south of the country.
#retweet: #Yemen handy map for reference. RT AJENews Yemen - who controls what: pic.twitter.com/vOTr8DGaoW
— azharhamid (@cura_alsaban) March 26, 2015
Planes from Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain are all taking part in the airstrikes, while Egypt Pakistan, Jordan and Sudan have said they are willing to take part in a ground offensive.
Saudi Arabia & allies launch airstrikes against #Houthi rebels in #Yemen LIVE UPDATES: http://t.co/43QVMOVHURpic.twitter.com/rrNa3WCD7U
— RT (@RT_com) March 26, 2015
Saudi Arabia, which is leading the Gulf coalition against the Shiite Houthi rebels has deployed 150,000 soldiers to the military operation in Yemen, according to the al-Arabiya television channel.
A Houthi official has said they do not need Iranian help in their conflict with Yemeni government forces and the nation’s Gulf allies. Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said “The Yemeni people are prepared to face this aggression without any foreign interference.” The Houthi rebels are loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
China has given its reaction to events in Yemen, with the country’s foreign ministry saying it was deeply concerned about the situation in the country.
Military spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that China urges all parties to act in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions on Yemen. Beijing also said that differences should be resolved through dialogue, rather than through violence.
Iran has called the military operation led by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies as “US-backed aggression.” Iranian television broadcast pictures of some of the damage from the airstrikes, saying "many Yemeni citizens were killed in the U.S.-backed aggressions in Yemen,” Reuters reports.
Iran has denied providing money and training to Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The Jordanian air force has joined the Saudi Arabian led coalition against rebel Houthi fighters in Yemen, according to an official source from Jordan.
"This is in line with supporting legitimacy in Yemen and it's security and stability ... Yemen and the Gulf's security is a high strategic interest (for Jordan)," the source told Reuters.
Yemen government forces loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi have retaken Aden airport, following heavy clashes with rebel Houthi forces. Hadi’s troops lost control of the airport in the south of the country on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia is receiving support from the US to help with their military operation in Yemen, a US official told Reuters. Riyadh said that Washington would not be taking part in the airstrikes against Yemeni Houthi rebels.
Washington has called on the Houthi rebels to stop their attacks against the Yemen government. "We would call on them to stop that instability and that violence and cooperate with this UN-led process to resolve the difference among all the sides," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a daily briefing.