Saudi Gazette report RIYADH/CAIRO – Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman is scheduled to leave for the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh on Friday to attend the two-day Arab summit starting Saturday. Saudi-led strikes on Yemeni rebels are set to dominate the summit that will consider forming a joint military force as several countries in the region teeter on the brink of collapse. Advances by militants in Syria, Iraq and Libya, and Shiite rebels backed by Iran in Yemen, have led to growing calls for direct intervention. Egypt, the most vocal advocate of a joint Arab force and host of his weekend's summit, has announced its support for the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen and said it would commit ground troops if needed. The Arab League states signed a military defense pact in 1950 to counter the recently created Israel, but with the spread of militancy the bloc's chief Nabil Al-Arabi has said a new type of force is needed with a new mandate. The long-floated idea was revived by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to combat Daesh militants who have established a foothold in neighboring Libya and control large parts of Iraq and Syria. The joint force proposal has also been thrust into the spotlight by Yemen's call for regional intervention to protect President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi from rebels who have seized the capital and advanced on his southern stronghold. Al-Arabi, who has been tasked with overseeing a report on a joint military force to present to the regional leaders, said the summit's main focus should be the “terrorist” threat. “The most important and what I hope will be the major concern of the summit is what to do about the unprecedented threats throughout the Arab word... (from) terrorist organizations,” he said.
