Saudis Lead Coalition Against Shiite Rebels in Yemen
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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Saudi Arabia is leading a military offensive against the Shiite Houthi rebel group that has taken over large areas of Yemen while Egypt says it’s prepared to join the Saudis and other Arab nations in what’s been deemed “Operation Decisive Storm.”
Saudi military jets have undertaken bombing raids against Houthi positions in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa and other cities while a force of 150,000 soldiers stands ready for an imminent invasion.
Numerous deaths have been reported, including many civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, Yemeni President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled his compound in Aden which came under siege by the Houthis, arrived in Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh Thursday.
Hadi is supported by the White House, which has seen its counterterrorism efforts against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula severely hampered by the rise of the Iranian-backed Houthi militias.
The offensive is designed to first weaken the Houthis and then send in ground forces with the goal of forcing the rebel group back to the negotiating table for a power-sharing agreement with the current Yemeni government.
The U.S., meanwhile, is offering no direct military assistance but is providing the Saudis and their allies with technical and logistical support.
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