The Chief-of-Staff to Egypt's Armed Forces, Mahmoud Hegazy, headed to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, to attend a meeting with his counterparts from different Arab countries. The meeting aims at activating the points discussed during the Arab League Summit held in Sharm El-Sheikh last week, to create a common Arab defence front, a military spokesperson said in an official statement. He added in the statement that the common Arab defence force initiative aims at maintaining security and safety in the region. On 26 March, two days before the summit, Saudi Arabia launched an attack on Yemen and controlled its flying zone. Houthi rebel groups had called for forming an army to fight Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and his government. Yemen has been witnessing increasing turmoil following the power grab by the Shi'a rebel troops led by Abdul Malik Al-Houthi in the north. The group have taken over many Yemeni cities, and entered the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, in September 2014, amid clashes with the state forces, which left hundreds dead, including civilians. As ships en route between the GCC and the Mediterranean pass through Yemen's coastal waters, the country's security status is crucial for several countries, especially oil exporting ones. However, it has a history of waves of conflict and division attempts between the north and the south.
