At 00:00 local time on March 26, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allied countries launched a military operation involving airstrikes in Yemen against Houthi militants. Defending of the "legitimate government" of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi was declared as the aim of the offensive.
During the night, airstrikes were conducted against the airport in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and a number of military facilities.
Above: People search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by an air strike near Sanaa Airport March 26, 2015.
Above: People search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by an air strike near Sanaa Airport March 26, 2015.
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© AP Photo / Hani Mohammed
Airstrikes hit areas in the north of Sanaa, the district of Bani Havat, and targeted a series of governmental buildings, according to military sources.
Above: People carry the body of a child they uncovered from under the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi airstrikes near Sanaa Airport, Yemen, Thursday, March 26, 2015.
Above: People carry the body of a child they uncovered from under the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi airstrikes near Sanaa Airport, Yemen, Thursday, March 26, 2015.
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© AP Photo / Hani Mohammed
According to the latest data, the official death toll from airstrikes on residential areas in Sanaa reached 65.
Above: People search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi airstrikes near Sanaa Airport, Yemen, Thursday, March 26, 2015.
Above: People search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi airstrikes near Sanaa Airport, Yemen, Thursday, March 26, 2015.
Pro-government troops regained control over the international airport in in the southern Yemen city of Aden which was seized the day before by forces supporting Houthi rebels.
Above: A Houthi fighter walks on a vehicle damaged by an air strike at a residential area near Sanaa Airport March 26, 2015.
Above: A Houthi fighter walks on a vehicle damaged by an air strike at a residential area near Sanaa Airport March 26, 2015.
Pro-government troops forced back from the airport the 39th Brigade supporting the Houthi rebels, a security source told Sputnik. On Wednesday, the airport was closed for security concerns and air traffic was suspended.
Above: Yemeni security forces look for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi air strikes against Houthi rebels near Sanaa Airport on March 26, 2015.
Above: Yemeni security forces look for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi air strikes against Houthi rebels near Sanaa Airport on March 26, 2015.
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© Sputnik / Faisal Al Shabibi
The offensive commenced right after the Development Council of Gulf states issued a statement which read that Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrein, the UAE and Qatar intended to answer a request from President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi to "defend its legitimate government from Houthi militants."
Above: An airstrike in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.
Above: An airstrike in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.
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© AP Photo / Wael Qubady
A representative of the Hadi’s administration said the leader is in the city of Aden and supports the Saudi-led international military operation against Shiite Houthi rebels.
Above: Militiamen loyal to Yemen's President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi take positions at the al-Anad air base in the southern province of Lahej, 60 kilometers (35 miles) of Aden, Yemen, March 24, 2015.
Above: Militiamen loyal to Yemen's President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi take positions at the al-Anad air base in the southern province of Lahej, 60 kilometers (35 miles) of Aden, Yemen, March 24, 2015.
The situation in Yemen has significantly deteriorated amidst the recent political crisis. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is now active in southern Yemen. At the same time, pro-presidential troops have clashed with forces supporting the Houthi rebels in the central areas of the country.
Above: Demonstrators block the road with burning tyres and other materials in Yemen's strategic city of Taez during a protest on March 25, 2015.
Above: Demonstrators block the road with burning tyres and other materials in Yemen's strategic city of Taez during a protest on March 25, 2015.
Residents of Aden began looting the presidential palace after Hadi left it on Wednesday, witnesses said.
Above: Anti-Houthi protesters seek refuge as pro-Houthi police troopers use tear gas to disperse them in Yemen's southwestern city of Taiz March 25, 2015.
Above: Anti-Houthi protesters seek refuge as pro-Houthi police troopers use tear gas to disperse them in Yemen's southwestern city of Taiz March 25, 2015.
The Shiite Houthi rebels took control of large areas in Yemen, forcing President Hadi and his government to resign in late January.
Above: Armed militants loyal to Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi ride a patrol truck in the country's southern port city of Aden, March 25, 2015.
Above: Armed militants loyal to Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi ride a patrol truck in the country's southern port city of Aden, March 25, 2015.
On Sunday, Houthi rebels and forces supporting the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh took control over country’s third-largest city Taiz.
Above: Demonstrators gather and burn tyres in Yemen's strategic city of Taiz during a protest on March 25, 2015.
Above: Demonstrators gather and burn tyres in Yemen's strategic city of Taiz during a protest on March 25, 2015.
