PHOTO: Saudi-owned Al Arabiya promotes support for the bombing of Yemen
UPDATE 1500 GMT: An anti-Saudi rally in Sana’a this afternoon:
Saudi Arabia and regional allies have launched military operation in Yemen against the Houthi movement.
Adel al-Jubair, the Saudi ambassador to the US, said the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council began airstrikes about 2 a.m. on Thursday. The Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV channel said 100 Saudi warplanes were involved in the attacks.
Al-Jubair said, “The operation is to defend and support the legitimate government of Yemen and prevent the radical Houthi movement from taking over the country.”
The US said it is providing “logistical and intelligence support” for the bombing.
Earlier this week the Houthis, a Shia Muslim movement, had advanced from the capital Sana’a — where they claimed power last month, forcing President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi to flee — into southern Yemen. They captured the city of Taiz and Yemen’s largest airbases. By Wednesday, their militia were only 20 km (12 miles) from the port city of Aden, where Hadi had set up an alternative Government.
See Yemen Developing: Houthis on Verge of Taking Over South, Capturing Country’s Largest Airbase
At least 25 people were killed and 40 wounded this morning, Yemeni officials said.
Picture says a thousand words. Sanaa after early Saudi airstrikes. #yemen pic.twitter.com/OlJfJXQRfn
— Khaled Bey (@KhaledBeydoun) March 26, 2015
Claimed photo of bomb damage north of the capital:
Long lines at all fuel stations in Sanaa. Residents fleeing in masses amid fears airstrikes will continue. Airport closed. #Yemen
— Ammar Al-Aulaqi (@ammar82) March 26, 2015
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said Cairo will coordinate with the Gulf States and provide air, naval, and ground forces if necessary. The commitment “stems from [Egypt’s] historic responsibility towards the national Arab security…[and] in defense of Yemen’s security and stability.
Saudi officials said Pakistan, Jordan, Morocco, and Sudan have “expressed desire to participate in the operation”, named “Firmness Storm”. This morning Amman confirmed its involvement in the bombing.
Video on State TV of the Saudi operations center:
