SANA, Yemen — Saudi Arabia and its Persian Gulf allies launched air attacks Thursday in neighboring Yemen, after Shiite rebels thought to be backed by Iran swept toward Yemen’s second-largest city and forced the president to flee.
The Saudi ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir, made the announcement Wednesday. He said the operation began at 7 p.m. EDT “to prevent Yemen from falling into the hands of the Houthis,” the rebels.
The operation was an extraordinary development that could plunge Yemen into full-out war.
The ambassador said military forces from several countries were preparing to join the operation, apparently referring to Saudi Arabia’s gulf allies. He said the airstrikes had targeted sites around the country, including in its capital, Sana.
The White House announced late Wednesday that President Barack Obama had authorized U.S. forces to provide logistical and intelligence support to the operation. American forces were establishing a “joint planning cell” with Saudi Arabia to coordinate military and intelligence assistance, the statement said.
Jubeir said the operation would continue until President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi was returned to office.
“The operations are limited to defending the government and preventing its collapse,” he said.
The Persian Gulf countries acted as Aden was close to being seized by the rebels. That would give them control of Sana and the country’s main sea gateway.
Yemen’s branch of al-Qaeda holds patches of the country and views the Houthis as foes in the competition for influence and Yemen’s modest oil wealth.
On a broader level, Yemen represents a potential proxy battlefield for Shiite power Iran and the Sunni Gulf Arab states allied with Washington, which had counted on Hadi as a partner in coordinating drone strikes against al-Qaeda.
