U.S. assistance offered for Saudi-led strikes in Yemen
Sanaa, Yemen (CNN)In just a few weeks' time, good relations with neighbors have become a matter of survival for Yemen's President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.
On Saturday, he rallied regional allies in Egypt, while they bombarded his enemies in his country.
After Houthi rebels occupied the capital Sanaa weeks ago, Hadi's government fled. When the President called for military intervention to beat back their attempt to overthrow him, adjacent countries answered this week with a grand airstrike operation.
Amid turmoil in Yemen, can an Iran deal be reached? 05:37
In the darkness of early Saturday, their jets increased the hail of ordnance on Sanaa, as Saudi-led operation Determination Storm went into its third day. And Hadiwas in Sharm el-Sheikh to meet with the region's leaders at the Arab League summit.
Yemen has been plunged into chaos since the Houthi rebels -- Shiite Muslims who have long felt marginalized in the majority Sunni country -- began seizing control of the capital and other areas of the country in recent weeks.
The rebellion upset other Sunni majority nations, prompting the airstrikes this week from Saudi Arabia and at least seven other countries that aim to help restore Hadi's government.
The unrest also led to the withdrawal of U.S. special forces from Yemen this month, seriously undermining counterterrorism efforts in a country that has been a stronghold for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
Continuous strikes in capital
Friday night, the Saudi-led airstrikes on Sanaa were continuous.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Yemeni supporters of the Houthi movement attend a demonstration against Saudi military operations Thursday, March 26, in Sanaa, Yemen. Saudi and allied warplanes struck Houthi rebels in Yemen on Thursday, a day after President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi reportedly fled from the country.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Houthi militiamen sit on a pickup truck mounted with a heavy machine gun March 26 in Sanaa. Houthis are Shiite Muslims who have long felt marginalized in Yemen, a majority Sunni Muslim country. The Saudis and their Sunni allies consider the Houthis proxies for the Shiite government of Iran and fear another Shiite-dominated state in the region.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
A Houthi fighter stands guard March 26 as people search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by airstrikes near the Sanaa Airport.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
People search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by airstrikes near the Sanaa Airport on March 26.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Members of Yemen's General People's Committee deploy in Aden, Yemen, on Wednesday, March 25. The militiamen are loyal to Hadi, who reportedly fled Aden as Houthi rebels and their allies advanced on the southern port city where he had taken refuge. Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
On March 25, honor guards in Sanaa carry the coffins of victims who were killed insuicide bombing attacks several days earlier. Deadly explosions in Sanaa rocked two mosques serving the Zaidi sect of Shiite Islam, which is followed by the Houthi rebels that took over the capital city in January. Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Yemenis stand in front of burning tires during an anti-Houthi protest in Taiz, Yemen, on Tuesday, March 24.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Medics treat an anti-Houthi protester who was injured during clashes with pro-Houthi police in Taiz on March 24.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Armed men inspect damage after an explosion at the Al Badr mosque in Sanaa on Friday, March 20.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
A man in Aden holds a police shield that he looted from a base belonging to forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Thursday, March 19. Some of the forces aligned with the Houthis also are loyal to Saleh, who resigned in 2012 after months of "Arab Spring" protests.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Houthi supporters in Sanaa deploy giant national flags Wednesday, March 18, during a demonstration to mark the fourth anniversary of the "Friday of Dignity" attack. In 2011, forces loyal to Saleh opened fire on protesters who had gathered in Sanaa to demand the ouster of Saleh and his regime. Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Supporters of Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, the son of the former President, wave banners and shout slogans during a demonstration in Sanaa on Tuesday, March 10. The demonstrators were demanding presidential elections be held and that the younger Saleh run for office.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
A child raises his fist during a rally by Houthi supporters in Sanaa on Friday, March 6.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Thousands of armed Yemeni tribal members gather in the southern province of Shabwa on Monday, February 23.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Supporters of the separatist Southern Movement perform prayers during a demonstration in Aden on Friday, February 13.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Houthi fighters guard the gate of the presidential palace where a bomb went off and wounded three people in Sanaa on Saturday, February 7.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Yemeni soldiers guard the presidential palace in Sanaa on Friday, February 6.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Members of the Houthi movement and their allies attend a meeting in the Yemeni capital on Sunday, February 1.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Supporters of the separatist Southern Movement flash the victory sign after they seized police security checkpoints on Saturday, January 24, in Ataq, the capital of the Shabwa province in Yemen. Policemen were told to give up their weapons and return to their bases before the militiamen raised flags of the formerly independent South Yemen at the checkpoints.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Houthi rebels fight with Yemeni protesters during a rally in Sanaa on January 24. Thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of Sanaa in the largest demonstration against Houthis since the Shiite militiamen overran the capital in September.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
On Friday, January 23, Houthis carry coffins of those killed during recent clashes with presidential guard forces in Sanaa.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
A Houthi militiaman sits near a tank near the presidential palace in Sanaa on Thursday, January 22.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Houthi men wearing army uniforms stand guard on a street leading to the presidential palace in Sanaa on Wednesday, January 21.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
A wounded man rests at a hospital in Sanaa on January 21. He was reportedly injured in fierce clashes the previous day.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
A tank is stationed in front of the house of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi on January 21.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
A Houthi rebel mans a checkpoint near the presidential palace on January 21.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
A man walks inside a heavily damaged house near the presidential palace on Tuesday, January 20.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
A woman walks past closed shops in Sanaa on January 20.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
An armed member of the Houthi movement stands guard in the streets of Sanaa on January 20.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
A man surveys his damaged home in Sanaa on January 20.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Houthis inspect a damaged mosque in Sanaa on January 20.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Houthi men raise their weapons during clashes near the presidential palace on Monday, January 19.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Smoke and flames rise in Sanaa during heavy clashes between presidential guards and Houthi rebels on January 19.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Tribal soldiers protecting the city from Houthi rebels stand guard at the city borders in Marib, Yemen, on January 19.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Houthi men guard a Sanaa street on January 19.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Yemeni supporters of the Houthi movement attend a demonstration against Saudi military operations Thursday, March 26, in Sanaa, Yemen. Saudi and allied warplanes struck Houthi rebels in Yemen on Thursday, a day after President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi reportedly fled from the country.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Houthi militiamen sit on a pickup truck mounted with a heavy machine gun March 26 in Sanaa. Houthis are Shiite Muslims who have long felt marginalized in Yemen, a majority Sunni Muslim country. The Saudis and their Sunni allies consider the Houthis proxies for the Shiite government of Iran and fear another Shiite-dominated state in the region.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
A Houthi fighter stands guard March 26 as people search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by airstrikes near the Sanaa Airport.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
People search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by airstrikes near the Sanaa Airport on March 26.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Members of Yemen's General People's Committee deploy in Aden, Yemen, on Wednesday, March 25. The militiamen are loyal to Hadi, who reportedly fled Aden as Houthi rebels and their allies advanced on the southern port city where he had taken refuge. Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
On March 25, honor guards in Sanaa carry the coffins of victims who were killed insuicide bombing attacks several days earlier. Deadly explosions in Sanaa rocked two mosques serving the Zaidi sect of Shiite Islam, which is followed by the Houthi rebels that took over the capital city in January. Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Yemenis stand in front of burning tires during an anti-Houthi protest in Taiz, Yemen, on Tuesday, March 24.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Medics treat an anti-Houthi protester who was injured during clashes with pro-Houthi police in Taiz on March 24.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Armed men inspect damage after an explosion at the Al Badr mosque in Sanaa on Friday, March 20.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
A man in Aden holds a police shield that he looted from a base belonging to forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Thursday, March 19. Some of the forces aligned with the Houthis also are loyal to Saleh, who resigned in 2012 after months of "Arab Spring" protests.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Houthi supporters in Sanaa deploy giant national flags Wednesday, March 18, during a demonstration to mark the fourth anniversary of the "Friday of Dignity" attack. In 2011, forces loyal to Saleh opened fire on protesters who had gathered in Sanaa to demand the ouster of Saleh and his regime. Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Supporters of Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, the son of the former President, wave banners and shout slogans during a demonstration in Sanaa on Tuesday, March 10. The demonstrators were demanding presidential elections be held and that the younger Saleh run for office.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
A child raises his fist during a rally by Houthi supporters in Sanaa on Friday, March 6.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Thousands of armed Yemeni tribal members gather in the southern province of Shabwa on Monday, February 23.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Supporters of the separatist Southern Movement perform prayers during a demonstration in Aden on Friday, February 13.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Houthi fighters guard the gate of the presidential palace where a bomb went off and wounded three people in Sanaa on Saturday, February 7.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Yemeni soldiers guard the presidential palace in Sanaa on Friday, February 6.
Unrest in Yemen 35 photos
Members of the Houthi movement and their allies attend a meeting in the Yemeni capital on Sunday, February 1.
Jets bombarded Hadi's weapons caches and other military assets, Houthi and Yemeni government officials said. And Saudi Arabia claimed major successes.
The Royal Saudi Air Force crushed all major air defense weapons of the Houthis and their allies, a Saudi adviser said Saturday. They wiped out main military infrastructure around Sanaa and destroyed most of the main roadways connecting the capital with major cities Taiz and Aden.
The RSAF laid waste to all major air fields, the Saudi adviser said, and many Houthi and allied fighters fell to the bombs.
Aden mayhem
The airstrikes extended far beyond taking out antiaircraft guns, and rumors circulated of a possible ground invasion, a senior diplomat in Yemen said. Without an invasion, the Houthis would still hold sway, the diplomat said.
"The bottom line is -- I do not see any political or military forces on the ground in the country now that could confront the dominant force -- the Houthis," the diplomat said.
Saudi naval special forces invaded to rescue 68 diplomats out of Aden and take them to Saudi Arabia, and the kingdom has attempted to remove a U.N. delegation from the country, the Saudi adviser said.
In the area of the southern port city of Aden, opposing Yemeni military forces -- those allied with the Houthis, and those supporting Hadi -- have fought for more than a week.
The senior diplomat said mayhem was being reported in Aden.
"We are hearing reports of summary executions, looting" in Aden, the diplomat said Saturday.
Talk of boots
Saudi Arabia has locked the Houthis down with a blockade, effectively cutting off their supply lines, and its air force controls Yemeni airspace. Saudi Arabia and Egypt have both spoken about the possibility of putting boots on the ground.
Egypt's foreign minister on stabilizing Yemen. 01:43
The Arab League is expected to give its official blessing to Determination Storm on Saturday, which could clear the way for a ground invasion, CNN's Becky Anderson reported.
The Saudi adviser said to expect a major announcement from Saudi Arabia at the summit.
But there may also be pushback from a few member nations, such as Shiite majority Iraq or possibly Algeria.
Sunni-Shiite divide
Though the Saudi kingdom has taken the lead with some 100 warplanes, the coalition partners include the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan and Egypt.
Arab Spring wasn't supposed to turn out like this
Together they comprise about a third of the Arab League's membership. They are majority Sunni Muslim nations, and the Houthi rebels are Shiite Muslims allied with Iran.
Having Yemen become an Iranian satellite country on its border would be perceived as a major threat by neighboring Saudi Arabia, which sees the Houthis as proxies of Iran, Saudi Arabia's bitter rival on the Persian Gulf.
Iran has sharply denounced the armed intervention.
At Saturday's Arab League summit in Egypt, Hadi denounced the Houthis as Iran's "puppet."
"I say to the puppet of Iran, and those who are with him, you destroyed Yemen with your immature politics, and creating internal and regional crisis," Hadi said. "You are wrong to think that you can build the homeland with shouting and speeches.
"You violated the sovereignty (of Yemen), and you bear the responsibility for what happen and what is going to happen."
The United States has approved of the airstrikes and is supporting them logistically, and aiding coalition forces in locating targets, but it is not participating in active battle.
A small contingency of U.S. forces had been stationed in Yemen to help in the fight against AQAP, but left this month after Houthi rebels advanced from Sanaa to Aden.
For years, Yemen had allowed U.S. drones and special operations forces to stalk AQAP in the country. Now, that arrangement is in tatters.
Houthis moved into Sanaa in September, sparking battles that killed a few hundred people before a ceasefire was called. In January, they surrounded the presidential palace and Hadi resigned and was put under house arrest.
Hadi escaped in February, fleeing to Aden and declaring that he remained the country's leader. The Houthis took control of military forces stationed near Sanaa, including the air force. After fighting moved toward Aden, Hadi left the country this week.
HRW: Civilians killed
Dozens of people have died in the strikes, and on Saturday, Human Rights Watch said many of the victims were civilians, perhaps as many as 34.
"Reports of air strikes and anti-aircraft weapons in heavily populated areas raise serious concerns that not enough is being done to ensure their safety," HRW regional spokesman Joe Stork said.
A Saudi Arabia defense official blamed civilian deaths on the Houthis, saying they were using them as human shields. Brig. Gen. Ahmed bin Hasan Asiri said the kingdom's military was using precision weapons to avoid collateral damage, state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.
Media outlets have come under fire as well. An hour after President Hadi ordered the closure of all Houthi-controlled media -- including Yemen TV and Saba TV -- Houthis raided two TV channels and the prominent Al Masdar newspaper.
Al Jazeera's office in Sanaa was also targeted, the Qatar-based network said, with Houthis looting security cameras and damaging equipment.
Opinion: Why Yemen has come undone
Journalist Hakim Almasmari reported from Yemen; CNN's Nic Robertson reported from France, and Ben Brumfield wrote this story from Atlanta. CNN's Jason Hanna, Becky Anderson and Nick Paton Walsh contributed to this report.
Source http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/28/middleeast/yemen-saudi-arabia-intervention/
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