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Egypt Says It May Send Troops to Yemen to Fight Houthis Egypt Says It May Send Troops to Yemen to Fight Houthis
(about 7 hours later)
CAIRO — Egypt said Thursday that it was prepared to send troops into Yemen as part of a Saudi-led campaign to drive back the Iranian-backed Houthi advance, signaling the growing likelihood of a protracted ground war on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula. CAIRO — Egypt said Thursday that it was prepared to send troops into Yemen as part of a Saudi-led campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthi movement, signaling the possibility of a protracted ground war on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula.
A day after Saudi Arabia and a coalition of nine other states began hammering the Houthis with airstrikes and blockading the Yemeni coast, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt said in a statement that the country’s navy and air force had joined the campaign and that its army was ready to send ground troops “if necessary.” A day after Saudi Arabia and a coalition of nine other states began hammering the Houthis with airstrikes and blockading the Yemeni coast, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt said in a statement that the country’s navy and air force would join the campaign. The Egyptian Army, the largest in the Arab world, was ready to send ground troops “if necessary,” Mr. Sisi said.
The Associated Press, citing unnamed military officials, reported that plans for an Egyptian invasion were already underway, and many analysts had already concluded that airstrikes alone had little chance of pushing back the Houthis. Egypt must “fulfill the calls of the Yemeni people for the return of stability and the preservation of the Arab identity,” he said, alluding to the specter of Iranian influence.
Saudi news media declared that the offensive, which began Wednesday night, had fully disabled the Houthi-aligned Yemeni Air Force. His comments were one of several indications on Thursday that the antagonists on either side of the Yemeni conflict are bracing for a prolonged battle as Yemen like Iraq, Libya and Syria is consumed by civil conflict, regional proxy wars and the expansion of extremist groups like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda.
Iran, Saudi Arabia’s regional rival and the Houthis’ main ally, denounced the assault as an American-backed attempt “to foment civil war in Yemen or disintegrate the country.” Houthi-controlled television channels broadcast footage of dead bodies and wounded civilians, blaming “American-backed aggression.” There was no sign of any imminent troop deployment Thursday, and both Egypt and Saudi Arabia have painful memories of previous excursions into Yemen’s mountainous desert. But many analysts have already warned that airstrikes by a coalition led by the Saudis are unlikely to defeat the Houthi-allied forces without ground troops.
The movement’s leaders warned that the battle could widen into a regional conflict, but they also vowed to overcome the Saudi attacks without Iranian help. “The Yemeni people are prepared to face this aggression without any foreign interference,” Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi spokesman, told Reuters. There were some signs within Yemen on Thursday that the first night of airstrikes may have stirred new support for the Houthis.
Prices for crude oil rose about 4 percent on Thursday over concerns that the fighting in Yemen might affect the passage of tankers through the Bab el Mandeb strait, a narrow chokepoint between Yemen and Africa that is the entrance to the Red Sea. “Though I don’t agree with the Houthis in many aspects, this airstrike against our homeland is a war against us all,” said Wahib Sharabi, 29, a civil engineer trudging to work in Sana, the capital, as residents took stock of the damage. “It’s the beginning of the end of the house of Saud.”
Along with Iraq, Libya and Syria, Yemen is the fourth Arab nation where an attempt to build a new democracy has been consumed by civil conflict, regional proxy wars and the expansion of extremist groups like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda. Saudi news media said on Thursday that on the first night of the offensive, dozens of jets from the kingdom and its allies had hit key military bases around the country, fully disabling the Houthi-aligned Yemeni Air Force.
The Houthi leadership, which hails from northern Yemen, practices a variant of Shiite Islam, the religion of the Iranian theocracy. Saudi Arabia, the region’s Sunni Muslim power, is backing forces loyal to President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who has fled the capital, Sana, and has taken refuge among his supporters in the south. Iran, Saudi Arabia’s regional rival and the Houthis’ main ally, denounced the assault as an American-backed attempt “to foment civil war in Yemen or disintegrate the country.”
The Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, criticized the airstrikes and said, “Regional countries should restrain from any actions which may intensify the crisis,” the presidential website reported. Houthi-controlled television channels broadcast footage of dead bodies and wounded civilians, blaming “American-backed aggression.” In a televised address, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, the movement’s leader, called the airstrikes “criminal, unjust and unjustified aggression” and vowed to beat back the Saudi Arabian interference.
Mr. Rouhani added, “We should make extensive efforts for three aims: stopping military interference in Yemen, preventing any opportunities for terrorists to take control, and helping setting up a sovereign government.” The fighting drove prices for crude oil up about 4 percent on Thursday over concerns that the fighting in Yemen might affect the passage of tankers through the Bab el Mandeb strait, a narrow chokepoint between Yemen and Djibouti on the way to the Suez Canal.
The Saudi Arabian-led military intervention immediately raised the threat that Iran might retaliate by increasing its own support for the Houthis with money and weapons as Tehran has in the past or with a more active military role, escalating the violence. But the struggle for Yemen is more than merely a sectarian conflict or a regional proxy war, in part because of the singular role of Ali Abudullah Saleh, the country’s former strongman. The Houthi movement, which is concentrated in Northern Yemen and follows a variant of Shiite Islam, has repeatedly clashed with Yemen’s central government over the years. But now it has found an unexpected ally in former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. A member of the same Shiite sect as the Houthis, he was ousted in a transition brokered by Yemen’s Gulf neighbors during the Arab Spring revolts. He had battled the Houthis while he was president but has now struck an alliance with them in order to engineer a comeback. He retained the loyalty of key parts of the military and security services, and lent that support to help in the fight against the new president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Mr. Hadi fled the Houthi-controlled capital last month to take refuge among his supporters in Aden, and he slipped out of public view on Wednesday when the Houthi forces appeared to close in on the city. On Thursday, Al Arabiya reported that he was in Saudi Arabia on his way to attend a summit meeting in Egypt this weekend but would be returning to Yemen to govern.
Mr. Saleh left power under pressure from an Arab Spring uprising under a transitional plan brokered by Saudi Arabia and the other Persian Gulf states. As president, he fought wars against the Houthis and at times appeared to ally with Saudis against Iran. Saudi Arabia, the region’s chief Sunni Muslim power, on Thursday released a letter from Mr. Hadi urging international intervention to protect his government from “the sinful aggression executed by internal militias” who he said were “supported by regional powers whose objective is to dominate this country and to make it a base for their dominance in the region” an unmistakable reference to Iran.
But he is a member of the same Shiite sect as the Houthis, and he has now struck an alliance with them in an apparent bid to restore himself and his family to power. He has helped lead units of the Yemeni military and security services to swing to the side of the Houthis against his successor, Mr. Hadi, and analysts say Mr. Saleh has played a much more critical role than Iran has in enabling the Houthi advance. The Saudi Arabian intervention immediately raised the threat that Iran might retaliate by increasing its own support for the Houthis with money and weapons as Tehran has in the past or with a more active military role, escalating the violence.
Some of the Houthi allies have even begun calling for the election of the former president’s eldest son, Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, as Yemen’s next leader. An ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and a former commander of Yemen’s elite Republican Guard, the face of the younger Mr. Saleh now appears on billboards around Houthi-controlled Sana urging his selection as the country’s next president. Western diplomats and other analysts working in Yemen, however, said that Iran supported but did not control the Houthis, distinguishing them from such Iranian proxies as the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Mr. Saleh, who at times had allied with Saudi Arabia, appears to have played more of a role than Iran in the group’s recent rise.
The United States and most Arab nations moved quickly to support the Saudi-led operation in Yemen, which Saudi Arabia is calling Operation Decisive Storm.The United States and most Arab nations moved quickly to support the Saudi-led operation in Yemen, which Saudi Arabia is calling Operation Decisive Storm.
The White House said in a statement that the United States would provide “logistical and intelligence support” to the Saudi-led military operations. “While U.S. forces are not taking direct military action in Yemen in support of this effort, we are establishing a joint planning cell with Saudi Arabia to coordinate U.S. military and intelligence support,” Bernadette Meehan, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said in a statement. A statement from the White House said that the United States would provide “logistical and intelligence support” to the Saudi-led military operations. “While U.S. forces are not taking direct military action in Yemen in support of this effort, we are establishing a joint planning cell with Saudi Arabia to coordinate U.S. military and intelligence support,” Bernadette Meehan, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said in a statement.
“The United States strongly condemns ongoing military actions taken by the Houthis against the elected government of Yemen,” she said. In Lausanne, Switzerland, where he is meeting with Iran’s foreign minister on a nuclear accord, Secretary of State John Kerry held a conference call on Thursday to discuss the situation in Yemen with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states. Mr. Kerry “commended the work of the coalition taking military action against the Houthis,” a State Department official said, and the official noted that the American support also included “targeting assistance.”
“We strongly urge the Houthis to halt immediately their destabilizing military actions and return to negotiations as part of the political dialogue,” Ms. Meehan said. “The violent takeover of Yemen by an armed faction is unacceptable and a legitimate political transition long sought by the Yemeni people can be accomplished only through political negotiations and a consensus agreement among all of the parties.” Four other Persian Gulf monarchies, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, joined the Saudi operation, as well as the allied Arab kingdoms of Jordan and Morocco. Of the Persian Gulf states, only Oman declined to participate. Two unexpected allies, Pakistan and Sudan, also joined the fight.
In Lausanne, Switzerland, where he is meeting with Iran’s foreign minister on a nuclear accord, Secretary of State John Kerry held a conference call on Thursday to discuss the situation in Yemen with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. Mr. Kerry “commended the work of the coalition taking military action against the Houthis,” a State Department official said. A meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, on Thursday endorsed the idea of a combined Arab defense force, a longstanding proposal given new impetus by the crisis in Yemen.
The State Department later went out of its way to make public that the American support includes not only intelligence sharing and logistical help but also “targeting assistance.”
Four other Persian Gulf monarchies, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, joined the Saudi operation, as well as the allied Arab kingdoms of Jordan and Morocco.
Of the Persian Gulf states, only Oman declined to participate. Two other less expected nations outside the immediate region — Pakistan and Sudan — took part as well, according to the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya network.
The Turkish foreign ministry issued a statement saying Turkey supports the military operation, which it described as “based on the request of legitimately elected Yemeni President Hadi.”
Al Arabiya reported that Saudi Arabia had deployed 100 warplanes, 150,000 soldiers and naval units for the effort in Yemen, and that its allies had contributed at least 85 more warplanes and other military support. So far, though, the operation has consisted only of airstrikes.
Residents of Sana said the Dailami air base and the city’s international airport had been hit. Antiaircraft gunfire continued for hours, and residents said they saw flames rising from both structures.Residents of Sana said the Dailami air base and the city’s international airport had been hit. Antiaircraft gunfire continued for hours, and residents said they saw flames rising from both structures.
By morning, local health officials said 25 people had died and 40 others were wounded, and the Houthi-controlled state television channel urged anyone with medical training to rush to the city’s hospitals. Doctors Without Borders, the international medical charity, said in a news release that scores of wounded people had been treated in its hospital in the southern city of Aden. By morning, local health officials said 25 people had died and 40 others were wounded, and the Houthi-controlled state television channel urged anyone with medical training to rush to the city’s hospitals.
Many Sana residents were packing up to leave the city, some of them forced out because their mud-built houses had collapsed from the bombing.Many Sana residents were packing up to leave the city, some of them forced out because their mud-built houses had collapsed from the bombing.
“Sana is not safe anymore; we are leaving for our village,” said Mohammed al-Wesabi, walking with his wife and three children and carrying their luggage.“Sana is not safe anymore; we are leaving for our village,” said Mohammed al-Wesabi, walking with his wife and three children and carrying their luggage.
Usually busy streets were largely deserted, and schools and universities were closed. But some making their way to work said the strikes had increased support for the Houthis. Saudi Arabia last intervened in Yemen in 2009. The kingdom was drawn into a fight against the Houthis in support of the central government, then led by Mr. Saleh. Saudi troops suffered more than 130 casualties within a few months.
“Though I don’t agree with the Houthis in many aspects, this airstrike against our homeland is a war against us all,” said Wahib Sharabi, 29, a civil engineer. “It’s the beginning of the end of the Saud house.” Egypt intervened in Yemen in the mid-1960s. President Gamal Abdel Nasser deployed tens of thousands of Egyptian troops for several years to bolster a nationalist coup modeled after his own. It was a bloody and fruitless experience that historians call Egypt’s Vietnam.
Mr. Hadi, the Saudi-backed leader, fled last month to Aden but slipped out of public view on Wednesday when the Houthi forces appeared to close in on the city. Al Arabiya reported on Thursday that he was in Saudi Arabia on his way to attend a summit meeting in Egypt this weekend but would be returning to Yemen to govern.
Riad Yassin, Yemen’s foreign minister, said on a Saudi-owned television station that Mr. Hadi’s government applauded the airstrikes.
“I hope the Houthis listen to the sound of reason,” he said, according to The Associated Press. “With what is happening, they forced us into this.”
In Aden, residents said on Thursday that clashes between militias supporting Mr. Hadi and forces allied with the Houthis had broken out in several districts, including near the city’s airport and the Bader military base.
“I can hear loud explosions near the airport and the base,” one resident said in a telephone interview, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of attracting the attention of fighters on either side.