Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has called for the creation of a joint Arab military force as it and other countries launch airstrikes against Shiite rebels in Yemen.
Mr. el-Sissi made the comment on Saturday while addressing a summit of Arab leaders in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.
He also said Arab countries are facing an unprecedented threat to their stability and identity.
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Mr. el-Sissi met with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Yemen’s embattled President Abdel Rabbo Mansour Hadi before the summit.
Saudi Arabia and fellow Sunni-led allies in the Gulf and the Middle East are bombing the Shiite rebels, known as Houthis. They view the Houthi takeover of Yemen as an attempt by Iran to establish a proxy on the kingdom’s southern border. Iran and the Houthis deny that Tehran arms the rebel movement.