Yemen

The coalition of tribesmen have vowed to expel fighters from the extremist group and restore order to the Gulf of Aden port.

Houthi fighters capture a central district of Aden, Yemen's economic hub, as al-Qaida militants free inmates from a prison. The ongoing violence is turning many Yemenis against the Saudi air campaign.

Airstrikes intensified as Houthi rebels advanced on the port city of Aden. Aid agencies say one airstrike killed dozens at a refugee camp, while Yemeni officials blamed rebel shelling.

The 22-member body agreed in principle to the military force that could be rapidly deployed to regional trouble spots.

At a summit in Egypt, the embattled Yemeni President Abed Raboo Mansour Hadi also described Houthi rebels as "puppets of Iran."

Airstrikes and anti-aircraft fire rocked the capital, Sanaa, while Houthi rebels continued their push into southern Yemen. Meanwhile, Arab foreign ministers gathered in Egypt.

Yemen is minor producer of crude oil but controls a strategic energy waterway. More than 3.8 million barrels a day pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

The Saudi ambassador to Washington also says the air operations against the Shiite Houthi rebels will continue and "we will see coalition partners join in the effort."

The U.S. has lost a key base for counterterrorism operations. The proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia is heating up. And one more Middle Eastern state has dissolved into chaos.

The attacks, coordinated with 10 allies, began hours after rebels seized an airbase that was critical to U.S. drone operations against al-Qaida. The base is just 35 miles from Aden, an economic hub.