Yemeni civilians and security forces search for victims at the site of buildings destroyed by Saudi Arabian air strikes against Houthi rebels near Sanaa Airport yesterday.
Reuters/Sanaa/Aden
Yemen’s President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi left his refuge in Aden for Saudi Arabia yesterday as Houthi rebels battled with his forces on the outskirts of the southern port city.
Throughout the day, warplanes from Saudi Arabia and Arab allies struck at the Shia Houthis and allied army units, who have taken over much of the country and seek to oust Hadi.
Warplanes resumed bombing the Houthi-held capital Sanaa yesterday evening, shaking whole neighbourhoods and terrifying residents. Several civilians have been reported killed in Sanaa.
Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said in a televised speech Yemenis would confront the strikes by Saudi Arabia.
Residents and security officials said the second night of air strikes throughout Yemen targeted air and ground force bases loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whose forces have bolstered the Houthi advance.
The Saudi-led military intervention marked a major escalation of the Yemen crisis, in which Iran supports the Houthis, and Gulf states back Hadi and his fellow citizens in Yemen’s south.
Iran denounced the surprise assault on the Houthis and demanded an immediate halt to Saudi-led military operations.
Saudi state news showed pictures of Hadi smiling and holding hands with the Saudi defence minister receiving him at an airport in the capital Riyadh and said he would go on to Egypt to attend an Arab summit tomorrow.
Mohamed Marem, the director of Hadi’s office, confirmed he would attend the meeting in person, dropping his original plan to address it via video link.
“In light of the events and developments that have happened since dawn, he has decided to attend the summit and participate in person,” Marem said.
But it was far from certain whether Hadi would be able to return to Aden.
“We will do whatever it takes in order to protect the legitimate government of Yemen from falling,” Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, Adel al-Jubeir, told a news conference in Washington.
In Sanaa, which the Houthis seized in September, warplanes earlier bombed the main airport and al-Dulaimi military air base, residents said.
Al-Arabiya said Saudi Arabia was contributing 100 warplanes to operation “Storm of Resolve” and more than 85 were being provided by other Gulf states, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan.
Egyptian air forces were participating and four naval ships headed to secure the Gulf of Aden. Turkey said it might provide logistical support.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said later Iran had been trying to dominate the Middle East.
“It is really not possible to tolerate this. Iran has to understand,” he said, adding Tehran should withdraw any forces it had in Yemen as well as from Syria and Iraq.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said any threat to Saudi Arabia would “evoke a strong response” from Islamabad.
Pakistan, which borders eastern Iran, said it was considering a Saudi request that it send troops to Yemen.
Saudi Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, spokesman for the operation, told a news conference:
“There are no plans at this stage for ground forces operations, but if the need arises, the Saudi ground forces and those of the friends and sisterly forces are ready and will repel any aggression.”
