By Asil bin Taleb

Riyadh-Mubasher: Houthi rebels and ousted president Abdullah Saleh sought to impose and ‘external’ will on the Yemeni people by force regardless of any laws or rules, said Yemen’s former commerce minister Saaduddin bin Taleb, in an interview with Mubasher.

The minister added that Houthis rejected dialogue and moved against the consensus of the Yemeni people on non-central federal state. He also accused Saleh of causing poverty to his nation during his rule.

Bin Taleb also described the military action by an alliance of Saudi Arabia and other GCC states as a necessary move to prevent a long-term threat to the regional security.

Saudi and allied warplanes struck rebels in Yemen on Thursday, with Saudi Arabia threatening to send ground troops and inserting itself into its southern neighbor's civil war, potentially opening up a broader sectarian conflict in the Middle East, according to CNN.

The Egyptian state news agency on Thursday quoted Egypt's Foreign Ministry as saying Egypt's support also could involve ground forces.

Translated by Sayed Abdel Rahman