elise holman. al jazeera. >> this operation a short while ago. let's listen to what he had to say. >> the kingdom of saudi arabia launched military operations in yemen. the objective is to defend the legitimate government of president hadi from the takeover attempts by the houthi militias in yemen. the use of force is always the last resort and it is with great reluctance that we took the step along with our partners in the gcc countries as well as outside of the gcc countries. we have a coalition of over ten countries that will participate in these operations to prevent yemen from falling at the hands of the houthis. as i mentioned, the use of force

is always the last resort. we have tried to mediate the situation in yemen. we have are put fort the gcc -- we have put forth the gcc initiative and worked on the national dialogue in yemen in order to have a peaceful transition to a new yemen. >> now the saud state news agency has released a joint statement by saudi arabia, qatar, the uae kuwait and bahrain. it reads the military operations in yemen will continue in order to achieve its objectives. the crisis in yemen has been many months in the making. houthi rebels overtook the capital sa nsa in -- sanaa in september. the situation deteriorated in december when the houthis rejected a draft proposal,

forced hadi to resign in what is called a coup. escaped to the southern port city of aden, rejected the houthis and maintained he was the legitimate president of yemen. backed an intervention to stop houthi fighters. omar al sala is here in the nud roox withnewsroom with us. what objectives are there? >> i think mainly to degrade and weaken the houthis their weapons. when the houthis overtook sanaa in september of last year they took control of almost all the military bases in the capital and they took all the weapons in those military bases.

now some of those military bases were already in the hands of forces that were loyal to the president so they didn't take those paces. however they are very well armed, they are organized and the takeover really gave them more weaponry. so i think whole operation this operation, the target of it is to weaken and degrade the abilities of the houthis and try to prevent them from advancing to take more territory mainly in the south port city of aden. >> and do we know what targets they have been hitting so far? >> we have several targets. we know of the presidential palace. we know the police headquarters. we know the command and control base, something called the joint operations room, we know they've attacked an air base in sanaa. they destroyed a number of radar equipment. they destroyed -- they've hit the airport in sadr in the

north. they hit the airport in sanaa. you need to know it's not only a civilian airport right next to it is a military airport. norssforces loyal to the toppled president. coalition struck at the hudaya airport as well as sanaa airport. a number of targets. i think as the hours advance it will be clearer and i think it's wider, the number of targets that have been struck so far. >> any idea right now of the casualties from these air strikes? >> we vice president had a word yet. however i was listening to the yemeni foreign minister however he hailed those air strikes and said they were carried out in great precision. so he didn't mention anything about casualties. i think however if the operation

widens and there could be more air strikes we could see a number of casualties follow. there are reports within the yemeni media local media saying there is a high number of casualties within the military personnel. those are soldiers, based in the different military air bases in sanaa and elsewhere. >> and omar, this strikes these strikes coming after the yemeni abd rabbu mansour hadi, appealed for help from the gulf nation. >> yes absolutely. he made that deal about 48 or 72 hours ago. that call was also repeated by his foreign minister, he called on the gcc country he called on the arab league to act immediately to prevent the fall of yemen and to protect the legitimate government and to protect president hadi. president hadi also called on the u.n. to intervene and help his country stay together.

>> and omar, at this point do we know where president hadi is? >> we don't know, because there's been some conflicting reports about his fate. some suggested he already left aden the port city of aden whether the houthis were advancing. some suggest he flew the country. some others, other sources who are close to president hadi say he is in a safe place in aden. he had left the presidential palace in aden. so at this moment we don't really know where he is. >> okay omar thank you very much omar al saleh here for us in the studio. somer joins us from washington, d.c. welcome once again to al jazeera jazeera, somer your reaction to

the military action launched in yemen? >> it's surprising to have an air strike so soon to the houthis expanding to aden. for me, my main concern is on the people on the ground are they safe? what is this air strike targeting? is it just restricted to military bases or is it going to expand to other sites as well? >> exactly. it's not clear at this point what exactly those objectives are of these air strikes. now you had said when we spoke a few days ago that you were hopeful that there might still be a political solution. >> yes. i was hopeful that there was a political solution. i think that if saudi arabia and their allies decided to engage the houthis in a proper dialogue that there was a way for this. i definitely think that this air strike is a bit haste and rushed, i think they should have

suggested a place outside the gulf states to involve all the yemeni actors on the ground. i think that's definitely what scared saudi arabia off having said that a lot of the sites that saudi arabia is targeting now are in fact military bases that are part of yemen's official national military sites. what i'm worried about is after all these air strikes, of course besides the casualties that might result out of this, out of all these air strikes would yemen's military infrastructure be entirely destroyed? that's really scary considering that we have several publish yation onmilitias onthe ground in yemen. and al qaeda in the arabian peninsula on the ground. with the houthis the main enemy of al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, if they are significantly weaker, what does this mean to yemen? >> could this potential attack just add fuel to the fire there?

>> absolutely. just hearing people's responses today, it is the middle of the night, everybody is scared and terrified and everybody on the ground knows this is definitely unnecessary for the time being. it is definitely shock, it is scary, we also don't know how effective it's going to be in limiting the influence of the houthis on the ground. i think everything happening now could actually be used by the houthi group to gain more support and have more recruitments for their cause than any other time before. >> somer how do you think things are going to play out? do you think the houthis and the supporters ever ali abdalla saleh will have to go back to the negotiation table? >> unfortunately, it seems that the houthis are taking this very personally and are vowing for revenge. of course this could be just a reaction out of emotion for the time being. having said that, i can't help that everything happening on the

ground in yemen is not just about an iranian saudi proxy war but could involve personality you know kind of problems that the leaders have with each other. as we know the houthi militia group is allied to former president saleh. they granted him immunity in 2011 and probably wanted him to engage in dialogue with them when they asked him to. so it seems this is not just about iran and could also be a very strong message to the former leader. unfortunately, the people are going to suffer from this are the yemeni people as a whole. >> yep, as ever, in all conflicts, it's civilians who get caught up in the middle of all the fighting. >> uh-huh, it seems that that's the case. we have had the houthis expand and take over some military bases. this is very scary because the speaker before me, i heard him

speak about targeting airports. when you target airports in sanaa, sanaa airport is not a military airport, it is a civilian airport. what does this mean for people who are trying to flee this conflict? in the past, people in this area have seen nothing but fleeing scenarios. it seems like everybody on the ground is on lock down. >> thank you somer al fandani a yemeni researcher in washington d.c. let's speak to robert grenier a counterterrorism official at the cia. also joins us live from washington d.c. sir what do you make of what their objectives are of the military operation? we are hearing about various targets, houthi targets rgt but also military base being targeted. why? >> well it seems that there are major factions at least within

the military, those in particular that are still affiliated or loyal in some means to former president saleh who are allied now with the houthi rebels. i think it's against that range of targets those that are specifically aligned with the houthis and the dissident military that the saudis are now focusing on. >> then those objectives would be to weaken the houthis and also the supporters of the former president ali abdalla saleh? >> yes, in the saudi mind i think they are one and the same. the reason the saudis are so focused on this threat from the houthi rebels they see this as an opening in the front of their larger regional conflict with iran. >> isn't this going to fuel the fire, growing concerns about a

regional war? >> well, indeed. and in fact, there is an element of self fulfilling prophecy in all of this. it is not at all clear to what extent the houthis are actually receiving effective support from the iranians, let alone military support. the mere fact that they are shia i think makes them of considerable concern to the saudis. the saudis therefore see the current struggle in yemen is part of this wider sectarian war that we see throughout the region. and i think to the extent that yemenis themselves begin to see this struggle in sectarian terms, if anything, that's going to make the conflict even sharper and it will also have the unintended effect perhaps of greatlygreatly strengthening the extreme is, and all these external parties to include iran are very much opposed to.

>> extremists, that includes al qaeda in the arabian peninsula and presumably i.s.i.l. as well. >> yes. yes, to the extent that i.s.i.l. is gaining a foothold there again i think in yemen what we're seeing is we're seeing elsewhere in the broad irregion is that there are -- broader region is there are extremists wrapping themselves in the brand of i.s.i.l. to attract greater attention and greater support from the extremist community if you will. >> how do you see this conflict arising, will they just confine it to air strikes for now? >> when you look at the saudi air forces, their air forces are quite capable. and also in the environment of yemen where there really isn't much of an opposition in the air and not very effective antiaircraft batteries that they have to contend with, it is a relatively cost-freeway for the saudis to pursue this campaign against the houthis and their

allies. i think that the saudis will be much more reluctant to actually use ground troops, at this point that i think they are happy to alast their forces on the border with yemen. let's remember that it's the north of yemen which is the home base for the houthis. if the houthis are concerned that the saudis may actually cross the border and attack them through back door if you will, it may cause them to ease some of their pressure on aden and targets in the south. i think that's part of the saudi calculus in all this. >> do you think the houthis can fight back, though? they've threatened in the past anyway to attack saudi arabia should it launch such an operation. >> i think the houthis very much have their hands full in yemen itself. being where they are in the north the mountainous areas and their ability to cross the border of the province of

southwestern saudi arabia, that is an option they could pursue, at least to a limited extent. at this juncture i don't think it's a major threat to saudi arabia. the saudis may consider it differently. >> robert grenier a counter counterterrorism agent with cia. >> there is shelling. good morning ma'am. i can't differentiate between the late hours remember waking up around 1:00 a.m. to this huge explosion of -- i've never experienced anything like this before at least not since 1994 when i was six years old. today i would like to be a witness to give a testimony vie vie being thisviabeing this political

analyst. the sounds, i don't know if you can hear them. >> yes, we can the sounds of the bombing. >> the sky is full of light. yes, sanaa has witnessed a number of armed conflicts but nothing has pen this intense at least not -- been this intense at least not since cement 2011, not this intense. the intensity is also psychological. this is a war that i as a yemeni have nothing to do with. neither of the two parts represent me. months ago the hope i had was within the peaceful resistance against any militia any armed militia, any autocratic militia but this is simply a depiction of iran and saudi arabia fighting a war using our lands using our people. it's important for me to mention that there is no such thing as separate military camps in

sanaa. this is a problem that former president saleh created. all the military camps inside the capital within residential areas. i mean, right beside my house there is a camp. we are a very mixed social system. these are civilians surrounding those camps. the saudi air crafts are shelling in the north and iranian supported militia is advancing in the south. and the only victim is civilians from this side, and the upper and even those dying on the front are poor yemenis who are dying for a war that is not theirs. >> have you any idea of the sort of casualties from these air strikes? >> nothing yet. i so-called a couple of friends who live right next to an air force base but no response yet.

i only imagine what it's like over there. and also, we need to -- i mean the morning will tell us about the casualties. as in physical deaths. but we need to understand that, i mean, there are other ramifications, aside from death. i don't think it's too late to stop this madness. i think there's still a chance for both iran and saudi arabia that understand that this is not the right war zone for them and ramifications will affect everybody in the region. yemenis want peace. yemenis have been living without a president even before president hadi had to flee aden, people still went to markets people still had their weddings, still people tried to maintain their normal life. there weren't any cases of high crime rate or robbery in spite

of the complete absence of former security. yemenis really want to live. what iran, saudi arabia is doing right now is turning this into a war zone where nothing is going to cultivate but revenge. the one thing that the u.n. should have done was in 2012, twrean2013 to listen to the 20 points that were issued by the national preparation committee would have prevented all of that. the one right thing that the u.n. can do is stop dealing with yemen as an agenda, to start listening to local experts instead of listening to ex-pats who only look at yemen as a war zone and as a model fighting al qaeda. there is more to yemen and to yemenis than fighting al qaeda and what's happening is only going to make al qaeda bigger, going to create more militias and more hatred.

if you imagine losing a relative against such shelling how you would grow how you would feel, there would be no option but to join one militia or the other. >> well the u.s. national security council has issued a statement about those develops in yemen. it reads in support of gcc actions to defend against houthi violence president obama has authorized the provision of logistic april and intelligenceal and intelligence support. while ufs forces are not taking -- u.s. forces are not taking direct action in support of this effort we are establishing a joint planning cell with saudi arabia to coordinate u.s. military and intelligence support. editor in chief of the yemen post he is in sanaa where those air strikes are taking place. i talked to him a short while ago via skype.

>> dramatic suddenly one hour ago the entire capital shook. everyone woke up and the attacks happened quickly from different angles, capital sanaa. as of now the targets have been the sanaa national airport the airport headquarters, houthi targets, houthi headquarters, houthi council offices gathering points, anything that's denoted houthi forces even the missile brigade in sanaa is attacked. this is a full scale war in sanaa starting one hour ago. and by morning we will know the damages. we cannot see the damages we cannot leave our house because of fight fall, by early morning sa that will b be different than it was an hour ago. >> are the air strikes continuing as we speak? >> they are nonstop every second and you hear by the second a

different location around sanaa. so that's why i said it earlier that the sanaa of the morning will be different than sanaa of last night completely different. all these air strikes for sure will have had results especially since now we have confirmed from the airport that they targeted the yemeni military airport directly, trying to handicap the airport. and have succeeded according to one official we talked to. >> hakem, you say three have been targeting the military airport. what about the main civilian airport? >> they are targeting the civilian airport only in areas where the military airports are being located. it is not the civilian airports, but the military within civilian airport. >> did this attack take you by surprise? >> again everyone in sanaa had

to wake up. it began with a massive explosion that shook all the houses of sanaa. people got up and went to the street thinking that the explosion happened flex door while everyone in the capital sanaa 40 miles away thought the same thing. so it was a heavy explosion to begin with. since then these explosions have not stopped. >> i was actually trying to find out if you were expecting any sort of strike of this form. we've been hearing for the last few days that the saudi forces have been massing troops along the border but there were no indications whatsoever were there of air strikes like this. >> there were no indications but the houthis right now are using anti-missile aircraft missiles to ensure that these air strikes do not succeed. but again they took the houthis by surprise. especially at this late hour of the day. and that these attacks did not happen while president hadi was fleeing in aden or running away

or was being defeated. it happened during the night fall where people didn't expect an the houthis thought victory was a given. right now it is a different scenario and the houthis will have a heart time convincing the yemenis that this war is not their fault. >> are the air strikes taking place just in sanaa from what you understand? >> as of now there has been explosions, lie explosions and gun fire in the streets of aden. there have been strikes in another province but the target now is sanaa. >> people there must be panicking. is there anywhere for them to flee to get cover? >> most yemenis are trying to find basements place to harbor. even the children are uncovered people are starting to panic.

tomorrow when the damage is seen, the destruction is seen, will see the destruction. >> they say this is going to trigger an all out war within the region. >> i do expect within this week the houthis to start invading saudi arabia. if saudi arabia attacks militarily the houthis will attack them. it is not a one day success saudi arabia from my experience will see a lot of devastation because of the houthis militants who are able to defeat president hadi within hours will have a very hard time with saudi arabia, but they are insistent that they have the manpower to do so with tens of thousands of military ready to fight for them. >> saudi arabia say three want the houthis to take part in the political process. won't this force push them into

doing that? >> anything is possible but as of now the houthis we have to forget the idea of dialogue and talks. it doesn't make sense you bombard a nation and call them for dialogue. this is a reason why this won't be a long dialogue. i was hopeful that the houthis would be involved in dialogue but this is the starts of the proxy iran-descriebsaudi arabia war. >> hi there allen. we are finally getting some clearance about the american support of the attack on yemen. >> the head of the national security council said the president has authorized logistical and intelligence support. white no direct action in support of this effort we are

establishing a joint planning cell to coordinate support. it was only a couple of hours ago at a state department briefing, do you support any military rm jen jensaki said logistical help. events in yemen on their security and given their proximity i don't have any predictions for you on what they may or may not do. a few hours later we got confirmation from the saudi ambassador in washington that air strikes were being carried out with support from gulf council and support from united states. >> allen, this military

operation has been launched even though the u.n. security council said just days ago that there should be no foreign intervention there in yemen. apologizes. we have lost our -- apologies we have lost our connection with allen fisher in washington. let's talk with our correspondent omar al sallyh saleh in studio. what about the other cubs who are involved, do we know the other countries and what they are doing? >> we know there are ten countries, saudi arabia qatar united arab emirates, bahrain there are talks of others joining the campaign. we don't know. egypt says it is coordinating very closely with the gcc countries, it is willing to send

jets, even naval forces or land or ground troops if required. we don't know the exact number of the countries who are either planning to participate or would like to participate. i think in the next hours perhaps a day or two it will be a clearer picture. >> and what targets are they hitting with these air strikes? >> a number of targets and quite important ones, they hit a number of military bases in the capital, sanaa. they've destroyed the command and control center, they hit el delafey air base, they hit a number of radar equipment launchers as well as the presidential palace, the special forces headquarters. they hit sadr and according to yemeni local media suggesting that the house of the leader of the houthis abdel