SANAA: At least 39 civilians have been killed in more than 24 hours of KSA-led air strikes against Shiite rebels in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia began its bombardment on neighboring Yemen on Friday, striking near the presidential compound in the rebel-controlled capital at dawn as well as at military installations.

Egyptian warships were also steaming toward the Yemeni coast as part of an Arab-led offensive against Shiite rebels seeking to take over Yemen in what has become a showdown between the major powers in the Middle East.

Foreign Minister  of Yemen Riad Yassin said, “If they completed their mission in the coming days, or the coming hours”.

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies plunged into the Yemen crisis after Shiite insurgents, known as Houthis, pushed south from their power base in the north, forcing the country’s pro-Saudi, Western-backed president to flee.