Update: Military source confirms Egyptian engagement in first wave of Yemen airstrikes

Military sources confirmed that Egyptian naval and air forces took part in Thursday morning’s military operations against Houthi insurgents in Yemen, the privately owned newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm reported.

However, Egypt currently has no imminent plans to deploy ground troops, the source stated.

The privately owned network Sky News reported that in the first wave of the operation, 179 fighter jets targeted Sanaa, Aden, Saada, Lahag, Abeen and other areas, and prompted the closure of Yemeni airspace. Riyadh also warned ships against approaching Yemeni harbors.

Speaking out on Thursday, Houthi leader Mohamed al-Bekhity said that the Saudi-led airstrike would prompt a region-wide war. Al-Mathira, a Houthi-operated television channel, reported that the strikes targeted a residential area in North Sanaa, leaving behind dozens of victims.

Egypt had first announced its support of the war against the Houthis in a statement issued late Wednesday night, just hours before the strikes.

“Egypt announces its political and military support of the steps taken by the coalition of countries backing the legitimate government in Yemen,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement said. 

Egypt’s support of military action “stems from its historical responsibility toward Arab national security and the security of the gulf region,” according to the Foreign Ministry. 

Coordination is underway with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states “regarding Egyptian air and naval support, and ground forces if necessary,” the statement added, “in line with the coalition’s efforts to protect the security and stability of Yemen, and to protect the unity of its lands and to preserve the safety of neighbouring Arab countries.”

Saudi Ambassador to the US, Adel al-Jubeir, said in a conference late Wednesday that Saudi Arabia had launched a military operation that includes air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. 

Jubeir added that a coalition of 10 countries were “determined to stop the advances of Houthi rebels in Yemen,” adding that they “will do whatever it takes to protect the legitimate government of Yemen.”

The ambassador did not give any information on the current whereabouts of the Yemeni president, though he did confirm that the military operation was launched at his behest.

Shortly after his statements, photos and videos of airstrikes against alleged rebel locations in Yemeni capital Sanaa were widely shared on social media platforms. 

The Gulf Cooperation Council announced its support of the military intervention in Yemen in the early hours of Thursday, upon the request of Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. 

The privately owned satellite channel Al-Arabiya reported that Saudi Arabia would deploy 100 fighter jets and 150,000 soldiers in the operation, and that Egypt, Jordan, Sudan and Pakistan had expressed willingness to contribute troops on the ground. However, Saudi officials did not confirm those numbers.

Al-Arabiya also reported that fighter jets from Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain would further contribute to the operation.

Late Wednesday, the United States announced it would provide logistical support for the operation. In its statement, the White House condemned the Houthi attacks against the elected Yemeni government, and said the US would coordinate closely with Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Gulf to work toward resolving the matter. However, the US is not participating directly in the strikes, the statement clarified.

The statement further called on the Houthis to halt their insurgency and return to the negotiating table. The international community rejects violent power grabs, the US continued, insisting that a peaceful transition of power could be achieved through negotiations.

The United Kingdom joined the US in voicing support for the strikes. “We support the Saudi Arabian military intervention in Yemen following President Hadi’s request for support by all means and measures to protect Yemen and deter Houthi aggression,” a foreign affairs office spokesperson stated.

"Recent Houthi actions and expansion in Aden and Taiz is a further signal of their disregard for the political process,” the statement added.

Iran, on the other hand, is speaking out against the strikes. According to Iranian news agency Al-Talaba, Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamed Gowad Zarif stated during a visit to Switzerland that “the Saudi air raids have to stop immediately. They are against the sovereignty of Yemen, and Iran will do its best to control the crisis in Yemen.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Badr Abdel Aty had said that “he was not acquainted with the claims” of an earlier statement made by the Yemeni Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, which maintained that Egypt and the Gulf states had agreed to intervene in Yemen, the privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm reported. 

Abdel Aty added that Yemen was going to be one of the topics open for discussion during the Arab Foreign Ministers’ meeting on Thursday in Sharm el-Sheikh, and the issue was to be submitted to the Arab Summit meeting for further discussions on Saturday and Sunday. 

The power struggle between Iran-backed Houthis and the Gulf-backed Yemeni president has resulted in deep turmoil in Yemen in recent months. On Wednesday, Houthis reportedly managed to take control of most of Aden, one of Yemen’s largest cities, purportedly forcing the president to flee from his residence in the port city that he had been taking refuge in for weeks after the rebels forced him out of Sanaa.