RIYADH/SANAA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Ground fighting between Yemen's government forces and the Houthis intensified on Saturday as Egypt considers a formal mandate for possible military support to Saudi Arabia.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said on Saturday that his country is prepared to take any measures requested by Saudi Arabia to defend the kingdom's security and sovereignty, while stressing that such a move "requires parliamentary approval."
Following Sisi's remarks, Egypt's House of Representatives announced an emergency session for Sunday in response to the president's request.
In the wake of Cairo's moves, Yemen's Houthi-aligned parliament on Saturday urged Egypt not to become militarily involved in the conflict and called for support for efforts toward a political settlement in Yemen.
Also on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi renewed Tehran's offer to provide any assistance to help end the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
In a statement issued as part of the "Dawn of Yemen" offensive, Yemen's armed forces said on Saturday they had carried out 1,417 strikes against Houthi targets over 24 hours, claiming that around 800 fighters had been killed or wounded.
The statement said the strikes targeted Houthi gatherings and reinforcements, fortified positions, firing points, armored vehicles, combat equipment and drone launch sites.
As for the Houthis, the group said on Saturday that its forces shot down a Saudi Apache attack helicopter near the border region of Najran, without providing further details on the crew's fate or the exact location.
There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia, and the claim could not be independently verified.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said Saudi warplanes carried out 53 airstrikes in Yemen over the past 24 hours. Sarea accused the strikes of hitting civilian sites and causing casualties, including women and children, without providing a toll.
Taiz in southwestern Yemen is becoming a key focal point of the country's ground fighting.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Friday that escalating hostilities in Yemen have cut access to Taiz City, preventing women and girls from receiving essential maternal care.
According to OCHA, more than 147,000 women and girls of childbearing age in Taiz have been cut off from life-saving care. More than 13,000 pregnant women in the city cannot access maternal health services, including 1,500 due to give birth in the next two weeks.
Early Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis towards Khamis Mushait.
On Saturday, the coalition announced the interception of four drones over Riyadh and the kingdom's eastern and southern regions, while destroying two ballistic missile launchers in Yemen's northern Saada province. ■
