U.S. military rescues 2 Saudi pilots off Yemen coast

Two Saudi Arabian pilots, who were ejected from a fighter jet due to mechanical failure during airstrikes against Yemeni rebels, have been rescued by the U.S. military at Yemeni coast. A source in the U.S. Department of Defense said on Friday that they identified the location of two pilots at 5:20 p.m. on Thursday and rescued them by mobilizing helicopters and destroyer USS Sterett that were stationed in nearby Djibouti, the Wall Street reported on Friday.

Saudi Arabia’s state-run SPA news agency said on Saturday that a fighter jet that was flying in the skies over the Red Sea in southern Yemen had a mechanical failure, causing the two pilots to eject from the aircraft. SPA reported that the U.S. Navy rescued and the two pilots are in good health condition. Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud telephoned U.S. President Barack Obama and expressed gratitude. Obama replied that the U.S. shares a common goal with the allies in the Middle East and that he supports airstrikes led by Saudi Arabia.

Ten Sunni Muslim Arab countries including Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes on Thursday, as Shiite rebels Houthis that seized the Yemeni capital through a coup threatened even the southern city of Aden where Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi took refuge. Arab countries continued airstrike targeting Houthis’ antiaircraft firearms bases through dawn on Saturday in areas including the capital Sana’a that had been seized by Houthis. Houthis said the airstrikes that continued for the fourth day left 45 civilians killed.

pen@donga.com