AFP

An Arab summit expected to back a Saudi-led offensive against Yemeni rebels and approve a joint military force began in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman vowed that the military intervention his country is leading against Shiite rebels in Yemen will continue until it brings "security" to the Yemeni people.

The campaign "will continue until it achieves its goals for the Yemeni people to enjoy security," the king said.

Yemen President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi was present along with King Salman of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab leaders.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi considered the military action in Yemen 'inevitable' after meddling by “foreign power,” noting that the Arab countries are facing unprecedented threat to their stability and identity.

For his part, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Arab leaders on Saturday to resolve the Yemen conflict peacefully.

"It is my fervent hope that at this Arab League summit, leaders will lay down clear guidelines to peacefully resolve the crisis in Yemen," he told the summit.