Yemen seeks Gulf states’ intervention

Associated Press

SANAA, Yemen

Yemen’s embattled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has asked Gulf countries to intervene militarily against Shiite rebels who have seized the capital and are advancing toward his new base in the south, his foreign minister told Saudi media Monday.

Riad Yassin said Hadi also has asked the United Nations to impose a no-fly zone so that the rebels, known as Houthis, cannot use the airports they seized. He accused the rebels of being a proxy of Shiite Iran, charges they deny.

Yassin spoke to Saudi-owned Al-Hadath TV on Monday. He made similar comments to the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal meanwhile warned that “if the Houthi coup does not end peacefully, we will take the necessary measures for this crisis to protect the region.”

He did not elaborate further. Riyadh also renewed its offer to host talks between Yemen’s rival groups— which already has been rejected by the rebels.