US: Yemen Rebels Have Looted Intelligence Files

With Yemen rapidly plunging into war, US officials aren't sure what happened to $500 million in military aid, but they have a good idea where files on American intelligence operations are: in the hands of Houthi rebels and their Iranian allies. Intelligence officials tell the Los Angeles Times that militias looted Yemen's National Security Bureau, exposing the identities of local agents aiding operations against al-Qaeda, and other files were handed straight to the Iranians by Yemeni officials who sided with the Shiite militias.

Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes against the rebels last night and the kingdom appears ready for all-out war: According to Saudi media, 100 fighter jets and 150,000 troops have been deployed, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain have pledged their support, and nations outside the Gulf, including Egypt, Morocco, and Pakistan, will also join the operation, the BBC reports. Iran has described the strikes as an "invasion" and a "dangerous step" that will destroy any chance of a peaceful end to the crisis, reports the AP. The US, meanwhile, is helping the Saudis with logistics and intelligence "but there will be no military intervention by the US," a senior administration official tells CNN. (More Yemen stories.)