More nations to join Saudi offensive in Yemen

Jordan, Sudan, Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan have declared their willingness to participate in Saudi Arabia's 'Al-Hazm against the Shia Houthi militia in Yemen, Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf region allies launched military operations including airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday to counter the Shia Houthis besieging the southern city of Aden.

Gulf broadcaster al-Arabiya TV reported that Saudi Arabia was contributing as many as 150,000 troops and 100 warplanes to the operations.

These latest developments follow a southward advance by Houthi militants, who took control of the capital Sanaa in September and seized the central city of Taiz last week as they move closer to the new southern base of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

However, media reports have said that Pakistan is yet to decide about joining Saudi Arabia in the war against the Houthis in Yemen.

Earlier in the day, warplanes attacked Shia Houthi camps in Yemen's capital city of Sanaa. The planes struck the al-Dailamy air force base in Sanaa and destroyed the runway, which is adjacent to the civil airport.

Mohammed al-Boukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political bureau, said "Saudi aggression is a declaration of war against the Yemeni people and we will fight them."

He said Saudi Arabia began the operation which would lead the whole region into an all-out war and the Houthi group was obliged to deal with this "aggression".