Saudi Arabia launches Yemen air strikes as alliance builds against Houthi rebels

[G_j]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/26/saudi-arabia-begins-airstrikes-against-houthi-in-yemen

White House confirms support for military effort, claiming international mandate to end ‘widespread instability and chaos’ that drove Yemeni president into exile

Dan Roberts in Washington, Kareem Shaheen in Beirut and agencies
Thursday 26 March 2015 01.54 EDT

The US confirmed its support for an extraordinary international military alliance that is emerging to counter Houthi rebel advances in Yemen as Saudi Arabia began pounding them with air strikes and countries from the Middle East to Pakistan were said to be prepared to commit troops for a ground assault.

The US was providing “logistical and intelligence support” to the Saudi-led forces attacking the rebels, the White House announced. Meanwhile the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel said the kingdom had lined up 150,000 soldiers in preparation for a ground offensive, with Egypt, Pakistan, Jordan and Sudan also ready to commit troops.

In a sign of the broadening scope of Barack Obama’s intervention across the region, officials in Washington said the US was establishing a “joint planning cell” with Saudi Arabia to co-ordinate the air strikes on the Houthi forces seeking to overthrow the Yemeni government.

Al-Arabiya also said planes from Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain were taking part in the operation.

Unidentified warplanes had earlier launched air strikes on the main airport in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, and its al Dulaimi military airbase, residents said.

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[underpants]

1. The Saudis are actually leading - that's surprising

Usually they just sit back and pay for someone else to do it

[JCMach1]

2. the Saudis now have their Vietnam...

the US needs to sit out this one.

[MisterP]

3. does this mean we're indirectly arming AQAP? I mean, we did it in Libya and with an-Nusra

but we've learned to forget that

[KamaAina]

4. So they can bomb the Houthis but not ISIS?

[Octafish]

5. Wouldn't it be great if the oil rich potentates shared their loot?

Instead of spending it at the casino, buying arms from the corrupt West, and building castles by the sea?

I bet there wouldn't be as many terrorists and the resulting wars without end for profits without cease.