Kerry commends Saudi airstrikes in Yemen

US Secretary of State John Kerry has commended the work of a Saudi-led coalition taking military action in Yemen, a senior US official said.

The top US diplomat Thursday held a conference call with Persian Gulf ministers to discuss the Yemen crisis amid Saudi airstrikes against Houthi Ansarullah fighters, according to AFP.

Saudi Arabia has begun launching airstrikes in Yemen where the Ansarullah fighters have acquired power.

Warplanes of the Royal Saudi Air Force reportedly bombed the positions of the Ansarullah fighters and launched attacks against the Sana’a airport and the Dulaimi airbase early on Thursday.

Washington has offered support for the Saudi campaign, including intelligence sharing and targeting assistance, a State Department official said.

“The ministers all expressed their support for political negotiations as the best way to resolve the crisis, but also noted that it is the Houthis who have instead waged a military campaign,” the US official said.

“They agreed to stay in close contact going forward.”

Despite Riyadh’s claims that it is attacking Ansarullah positions, Saudi warplanes have flattened a number of homes near Sana’a international airport.

Based on early reports, the Saudi airstrikes on Yemen have so far claimed the lives of 13 civilians, Yemeni sources said.

Following the Saudi invasion, forces loyal to the fugitive Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, seized control of the international airport in Aden.

Hadi fled to an undisclosed location after Ansarullah fighters neared his refuge in the southern port city on Wednesday.

The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan are contributing to the air campaign by offering aircraft, Al-Arabiya TV reported.