CAIRO
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz said Saturday that an anti-Houthi offensive will continue until stability is restored to Yemen.
"The Hazm (Resolve) Storm Operation will continue until Yemen enjoys security and stability," Salman said at the opening session of the 26th Arab summit in Egypt's Red Sea town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
He said several countries have agreed to join the offensive "to stand by the Yemeni people and to repel the Houthi aggression which poses a threat to the region."
Saudi Arabia and several Arab allies launched a military offensive against the Houthis in Yemen on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia said the anti-Houthi campaign was in response to appeals by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi to "save the people [of Yemen] from the Houthi militias."
The Saudi king said that Riyadh "opens its doors for those willing to preserve Yemen."
"Riyadh opens its doors for Yemeni political forces to meet under the auspices of the Gulf Cooperation Council to look into ways of restoring stability in Yemen in line with legitimacy and rejection of the coup."
Fractious Yemen has been beset by turmoil since last September, when Shiite militants overran capital Sanaa, from which they have sought to extend their influence to other parts of the country as well.
Some Gulf countries accuse Shiite Iran of supporting Yemen's Houthi insurgency.
King Salman blamed sectarianism for the current turmoil in several Arab countries.
"The current tragic situation in a number of Arab countries…is the result of terrorism and sectarianism led by regional powers," he said.
The two-day Arab summit is expected to tackle a host of issues, topped by the situation in Yemen, Libya and Syria, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the joint Arab action.
