CAIRO
Saudi Arabia asserted on Thursday that the military campaign against the Houthi militant group in Yemen will continue as long as needed.
Lt. Gen. Ahmed Aseri, the commander of the Saudi-led operation, told a press conference that the operation against the Houthis aims to prevent the militants from harming the Yemeni people and neighboring countries.
He noted that the airstrikes against the Houthis had achieved their targets within the first 15 minutes.
Several Arab states have joined the Saudi-led offensive, which kicked off late Wednesday with a string of airstrikes against the positions of the Houthi Shiite militant group in Yemen, including some in capital Sanaa.
Saudi Arabia said the strikes were in response to calls by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi for military intervention to "save the people from the Houthi militias."
Fractious Yemen has been in turmoil since last September, when the 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 the Houthi insurgency.
Aseri, meanwhile, said troops from the countries participating in the campaign would prevent the Houthis from receiving supplies from allies.
He asserted that Saudi troops had countered a Houthi ground advance toward the Saudi border in the past few hours.
