Seven days into the Saudi Arabia-led aerial bombing campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen, the civilian death toll is mounting and hundreds of families are on the run, fleeing the nightly attacks that have shaken the already struggling country.
Operation Resolute Storm, as the Saudis have dubbed the campaign, aims to restore power to fugitive Yemeni president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
The five Persian Gulf States — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait — and Egypt that are also assisted by Israel and backed by the US, declared war on Yemen in a joint statement issued Thursday.
US President Barack Obama authorized the provision of logistical and intelligence support to the military operations, National Security Council Spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said late Wednesday night.
She added that while US forces were not taking direct military action in Yemen, Washington was establishing a Joint Planning Cell with Saudi Arabia to coordinate US military and intelligence support.
