SANAA — As many as 800 Egyptian soldiers arrived in Yemen late on Tuesday, Egyptian security sources said, swelling the ranks of a Gulf Arab military contingent which aims to rout the Iran-allied Houthi group after a five-month civil war. It was the first reported deployment of ground troops there by Egypt, which has one of the Arab world's strongest armies. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia has scored major gains against the militia and its allies in Yemen's army, backing a push by Yemeni fighters to seize much of the country's south and now setting its sights on the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa. Four Egyptian units of between 150 to 200 troops along with tanks and transport vehicles arrived in Yemen late on Tuesday, two Egyptian security sources said. "We have sent these forces as part of Egypt's prominent role in this alliance ... the alliance fights for the sake of our brotherly Arab states, and the death of any Egyptian soldier would be an honor and considered martyrdom for the sake of innocent people," a senior Egyptian military source said. Coalition spokesman and adviser at the office of the minister of defense Brig. Gen. Ahmad Al-Asiri told Reuters its forces were focusing on overcoming Houthi resistance in Yemen's central and southern provinces, pounding their positions from the air across the country before beginning any thrust towards Sanaa. "Before you start the ground operation, you have to have the prerequisite of the air campaign," Al-Airi said. "I don't want to talk about Sanaa because the military issue is in phases ... Now we are talking of Marib and Taiz." — Reuters
