Saudi Arabia has launched air strikes in Yemen against Shia Houthi rebels, the Saudi ambassador in the US has said.
Adel al-Jubeir said Saudi Arabia acted to "defend the legitimate government" of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.
Supporters of President Hadi say that they recaptured Aden airport on Thursday after heavy fighting with forces allied to Houthi fighters.
The Iran-backed rebels have made rapid gains in recent months.
They have forced Mr Hadi to flee the capital Sanaa.
News footage of the strikes broadcast by Saudi-owned Al-Hadath TV showed flashing lights and apparent machine gun fire.
Meanwhile Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior Houthi rebel, warned that the Saudi operation amounted to an aggression against Yemen and could set off a "wide war" in the region, according to Reuters news agency.
Saudi Arabia is supplying 100 warplanes and 150,000 soldiers for the operation, Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television reported on Thursday.
Jordanian officials say that its air force jets are taking part in the operation.
In addition the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said that the operation had the support of Sudan, Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan which were willing if necessary to take part.
Earlier Mr Hadi appealed to members of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) to intervene.
SPA said GCC members Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates agreed to answer President Hadi's call for help.
Security compromised
In the US, White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said President Barack Obama had authorised logistical and intelligence support for the operation.
But she stressed that "US forces are not taking direct military action in Yemen".
Recent developments have also raised fears that Iran - Saudi Arabia's regional rival - could be drawn into the conflict.
In a separate development, reports said the Houthi rebels had seized secret US intelligence files describing US operations in Yemen.
The files reportedly contained informants' identities as well as counter-terrorism operation plans, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Quoting two unnamed US officials, the paper says that the identities of local agents are considered to be compromised after Houthi leaders in Sanaa took over the offices of the National Security Bureau, which had worked closely with the CIA and other intelligence agencies.
"For American intelligence networks in Yemen, the damage has been severe," the LA Times says.
'Ransom for president'
Speaking in Washington on Wednesday, Mr Jubeir said the Saudi operation began at 23:00 GMT.
Mr Jubeir stressed that the Saudis "will do anything necessary'' to protect the people of the neighbouring Yemen and "the legitimate government of Yemen".
This come despite sources in Saudi Arabia telling Reuters earlier on Wednesday that there were no plans for military intervention in the crisis, and that the reported build-up of military forces on its border with Yemen was "purely defensive".
Mr Jubeir also said Gulf states supported the Saudi operation.
The embattled Yemeni president also asked the UN Security Council to back military action by "willing countries" against the Houthi rebels.
Also on Wednesday, reports said Mr Hadi fled his palace in Aden as the rebels advanced towards the southern port city.
But Yemeni government officials denied suggestions that the president has fled the country, and said he remained in Aden.
Meanwhile, Yemen's state television, which is controlled by the rebels, announced a ransom for anyone who captures the "fugitive" president.
The Houthis: Zaidi Shia-led rebels from the north, who seized control of Sanaa last year and have since been expanding their control
President Hadi: Backed by military and police loyalists, and by militia known as Popular Resistance Committees, he is trying to fight back against the rebels from his stronghold in the south
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula: Seen by the US as the most dangerous offshoot of al-Qaeda, AQAP opposes both the Houthis and President Hadi.
Islamic State: A Yemeni affiliate of IS has recently emerged, which seeks to eclipse AQAP.
Yemen crisis: An Iranian-Saudi battleground?
Meeting the Houthis - and their enemies
The rise of Yemen's Houthi rebels
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