Saudi Arabia says it will continue military strikes on Yemen until Houthi rebels lay down their arms. There is intense fighting in the coastal city of Aden, the stronghold of deposed President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The Yemeni Health Ministry says at least 60 people have been killed and more than 500 wounded since the bombing began last week. On Sunday, the Saudi ambassador to the United States said his government had discussed the military campaign with the White House for months.

Adel al-Jubeir: “We have talked about the possible options of using force with the United States for many months. This option became much more serious in the last few weeks. And in the run-up to making the decision and putting together the coalition, we were in constant touch with the White House and other U.S. government agencies about this. The decision to use military force was made at the last moment because of the developments that were happening with regards to the Houthis’ potential occupation of Aden.”

The Saudi government says it has not ruled out sending in ground troops if the Houthis refuse to surrender. Over the weekend, former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a Houthi ally ousted in the 2011 Arab Spring, called for talks based on resuming a political transition. Saleh also proposed that neither he nor Hadi seek the presidency, but Hadi’s foreign minister dismissed the suggestion as “the talk of losers.”