Cairo, March 26 (IANS): At the behest of the Yemeni government, Egypt announced on Thursday its political and military support for the legitimate government in Yemen, saying it would send armed forces "if necessary", Efe news agency reported.

The Yemeni government has been sieged by advancing Shia Houthi militias, while Egypt's support follows in the steps taken by Saudi Arabia and the Arab coalition of more than 10 countries to support Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi's regime.

"There is ongoing coordination with Saudi Arabia and the brotherly Gulf countries regarding the preparations to participate with Egyptian air, naval and ground forces, if necessary," state-run MENA news agency quoted the Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs as saying in a statement

The decision is due to a historical Egyptian responsibility to preserve Arab regional security, especially for Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, according to the statement.

The Egyptian announcement came shortly after operation "al-Hazm Storm" was launched, when Saudi fighter jets bombed several Houthi military positions in Yemeni areas in an attempt to stop the Shia militia's advance on the southern Yemeni city of Aden, where President Hadi has sought refuge, military sources told Efe.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain chose to respond to the Yemeni president's call, which directly asked for military intervention to stop the progress of the Houthi rebels, who have reached the gates of Aden.

The states from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) supported the measure in order to "protect Yemen and its people from aggression of Houthi militias backed by regional powers", the council said in a joint statement released by the Saudi Press Agency.

In the message, the five GCC states underlined that "the Houthi coup" was posing a "threat not confined to Yemen's security, stability and sovereignty, but has become a comprehensive threat to the security of the region and international peace and security".