Saudi Arabia and Gulf region allies launched military operations including air strikes in Yemen today, officials said, to counter Iran-allied forces besieging the southern city of Aden where the US-backed Yemeni president had taken refuge.
Gulf broadcaster al-Arabiya TV reported that the kingdom was contributing as many as 150,000 troops and 100 warplanes to the operations and that Egypt, Jordan, Sudan and Pakistan were ready to take part in a ground offensive in Yemen.
There was no immediate confirmation of those figures from Riyadh. 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, Sanaa, and its al Dulaimi military airbase, residents said.
"We will do whatever it takes in order to protect the legitimate government of Yemen from falling," Jubeir told a news conference.
The crisis now risks spiralling into a proxy war with Iran backing the Houthis, and Saudi Arabia and the other regional Sunni Muslim monarchies supporting Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Al Qaeda Branch
Hadi remains in his base in Aden and was "in high spirits", one of his aides said after the operation began.
Houthi-run al-Masirah television reported that the Saudi-led air strikes had hit a residential neighbourhood north of Sanaa and caused dozens of casualties. It also urged medical personnel to report to hospitals in Sanaa immediately.
No independent verification of any casualties was immediately possible.
The White House said in a statement late on Wednesday the United States supported the operation, led by the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and that President Barack Obama had authorised US "logistical and intelligence support".
Although the news sparked jitters in the oil market, Asian importers said they were not immediately worried about supply disruptions.
Most oil tankers from Arab producers such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq have to pass Yemen's coastlines via the narrow Gulf of Aden in order to get through the Red Sea and Suez Canal to Europe.
The 40 km (25 mile)-wide strait between Yemen and Djibouti and the Strait of Hormuz between the Arabian peninsula and Iran are both considered chokepoints to global oil supplies by the US Energy Information Administration.
Yemen's Houthis Attack 2 Ships In Red Sea For Using Israeli Ports Saudi Teacher Gets 20-Year Jail Term Over Critical Social Media Posts Yemen's Houthis Claim Attack On Vital Target In Israel's Haifa Amid Huge Row, Karnataka Pauses Bill For Reservation In Private Sector Firms Travel Influencer Aanvi Kamdar Dies After Falling Off A Waterfall Near Mumbai BJP Subtly Asking Ajit Pawar To Quit "Mahayuti": Sharad Pawar's NCP 'Friend' Arrested For Making Viral Mumbai Couple's Intimate Videos: Cops UK Covid-19 Inquiry To Issue First Report On Preparedness Secret Service Head To Testify To US House Panel On Trump Shooting Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.