Attacks on Houthi targets by Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen intensified Monday. CNN reported that the Saudi-led coalition targeted Houthi military position and weapons depots in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. The Saudi-led forces also struck a camp for internally displaced refugees as speculation grows that a ground invasion is increasingly likely.
These latest developments come in the wake of the Arab League summit which took place Saturday and Sunday in Egypt, concluding with a demonstration of unity in favor of the military operation against the Houthis. During the summit, the leaders of the Arab countries expressed their full support (Arabic link) for the internationally recognized leadership of Yemen, and for the air campaign led by Saudi Arabia against the Iran-backed rebels.
In their final joint statement of the summit, leaders stressed the importance of the campaign against the Houthis and called to continue it until the Houthis withdraw from the areas they conquered. In addition, the summit approved the establishment of a joint military force that can interfere in the various crises in the Middle East.
During the summit, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz delivered a speech (Arabic link) in which he stressed that the Houthis’ attempt to take over Yemen is a danger to the security and stability of the entire Middle East. He hinted that Iran is trying to take control of Yemen to turn it into a military base.
Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi denounced Iran, stating that the Islamic Republic is exploiting the sensitive situation in Arab countries to intervene in their affairs and recruit some of their inhabitants in a way that threatens the national security of these countries.
On Saturday, Saudi-led military forces attacked a long-range rocket launch site set up by the Shi’ite rebels south of Sanaa. Houthi forces had aimed the rockets at targets at the city of Aden and neighboring countries. A Yemeni official said authorities received information that Iranian experts were involved in arming the missile site that was attacked. According to a report in Al-Hayat (Arabic link), the rebels use civilians as human shields to avoid attacks by the coalition aircraft.
The Houthis, supported by the forces of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, were able in recent months to take control of large areas in Yemen, including Sanaa. The current, American-backed President, Abbed Rabbo Mansouri Hadi, fled south to the city of Aden, and tried to administer the affairs of the state from there. ISIS and al-Qaeda in the Arabial Peninsula, both active in Yemen, have begun trying to benefit from the anarchy created by the Houthis.
[Photo: wochit General News / YouTube ]