Saudi Arabia is moving
heavy military equipment including artillery to areas near its
border with Yemen, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, raising the
risk that the Middle East's top oil power will be drawn into the
worsening Yemeni conflict.
The buildup follows a southward advance by Iranian-backed
Houthi Shi'ite militants who took control of the capital Sanaa
in September and seized the central city of Taiz at the weekend
as they move closer to the new southern base of U.S.-backed
President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The armor and artillery being moved by Saudi Arabia could be
used for offensive or defensive purposes, two U.S. government
sources said. Two other U.S. officials said the build-up
appeared to be defensive.
One U.S. government source described the size of the Saudi
buildup on Yemen's border as "significant" and said the Saudis
could be preparing air strikes to defend Hadi if the Houthis
attack his refuge in the southern seaport of Aden.
Another U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity,
said Washington had acquired intelligence about the Saudi
build-up. But there was no immediate word on the precise
location near the border or the exact size of the force
deployed.
The conflict risks spiraling into a proxy war with Shi'ite
Iran backing the Houthis, whose leaders adhere to the Zaydi sect
of Shi'ite Islam, and Saudi Arabia and the other regional Sunni
Muslim monarchies backing Hadi.
Hadi, who supported Washington's campaign of deadly drone
strikes on a powerful al Qaeda branch based in Yemen, has been
holed up in Aden with his loyalist forces since he fled Sanaa in
February.
Saudi Arabia faces the risk of the turmoil spilling across
its porous 1,800 km (1,100 mile)-long border with Yemen and into
its Shi'ite Eastern Province where the kingdom's richest oil
deposits lie.
Riyadh hosted top-level talks with Gulf Arab neighbors on
Saturday that backed Hadi as Yemen's legitimate president and
offered "all efforts" to preserve the country's stability.
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said on Monday Arab
countries would take necessary measures to protect the region
against "aggression" by the Houthi movement if a peaceful
solution could not be found.
A spokesman for the Saudi embassy in Washington did not
immediately respond to a request for comment on any military
movements.
Yemen asked the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday
to back military action by "willing countries" to combat Houthi
militias, according to a letter from Hadi seen by Reuters.
Hadi wants the 15-member body to adopt a resolution that
would authorize "willing countries that wish to help Yemen to
provide immediate support for the legitimate authority by all
means and measures to protect Yemen and deter the Houthi
aggression."
Fighting has spread across Yemen since last September when
the Houthis seized Sanaa and advanced into Sunni Muslim areas.
U.S. officials said on Saturday that the United States had
evacuated all its remaining personnel in Yemen, including about
100 special operations forces, because of the security
situation.
The end of a U.S. security presence inside the
country has dealt a blow to Washington's ability to monitor and
fight al Qaeda's Yemen affiliate.
REUTERS