Dozens of troops have arrived at the southern port of Aden on Thursday, shortly after Houthis made advances into the central part of the city, witnesses and local officials told Reuters.
It is unconfirmed where the foreign troops came from, but Saudi Arabia has said it controls the waters surrounding Aden. Yemeni officials from the internationally recognized government had been calling on the Saudi-led coalition to send ground troops in its fight against Shiite insurgents.
A few days earlier, Saudi Arabia said it had prepared forces surrounding the border to Yemen in case it needed to send boots on the ground, according to Reuters.
A leader from the Houthi armed wing had said the group is ready to retaliate against the coalition should the raids continue, according to RIA Novosti.
"We have the power for a retaliatory strike, but the decision will be made when other options are exhausted," the member told RIA Novosti.
Dozens of casualties have been reported since the ten-nation coalition began conducting raids against the militants. An airstrike that had targeted a nearby Houthi base killed at least 40 and wounded hundreds in a Yemeni refugee camp for those who were already displaced in the country.
