Dec 5, 2017

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that Yemenis would make those attacking their country regret their actions as a Saudi-led coalition pounded the rebel-held capital with heavy air strikes.

"The people of Yemen will make their aggressors regret their actions," Rouhani said in a televised speech.

His comments came a day after the killing of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh by Iran-backed Huthi rebels triggered a renewed Saudi-backed offensive on the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Saudi Arabia, Iran's main regional rival, has been leading a coalition against the Huthis in a war that has cost thousands of lives and become the world's worst humanitarian crisis according to the United Nations.

Tehran denies direct military support for the Huthis, but a recent UN rep