Arab leaders agreed Sunday to the creation of a joint military force.
The heads of the Arab League countries said the unit would be made up of volunteers and could be called up when a member state was facing a security or safety threat.
The agreement was made on the second day of the Arab Summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, where the crisis in Yemen was high on the agenda.
Saudi-led airstrikes targeted key military sites and weapons depots for a fourth day in an effort to drive out Shiite Houthi rebels who are advancing through the country.
The Arab League's statement, read out by Secretary-General Nabil Arabi, said that the coalition operation would "continue until Houthi militias withdraw and submit their weapons."
He added that the challenges faced by Arab nations are "obvious and unquestionable" and intervention in Yemen became necessary after all peaceful avenues were exhausted.
The creation of the unified force, announced by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi, has long been an ambition of the 22-member Arab League, but one that has proved unobtainable.
"The Arab leaders have decided to agree to the principle of a joint Arab military force," he said.
Sisi said a "high-level" team would be created to look at the structure of the force.
Citing Egyptian military and security officials, the Associated Press reported that the proposed force would comprise 40,000 elite troops and have its headquarters in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, or Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.
Arabi said that joining would be optional for Arab League members and Iraq has already voiced its concerns about the idea, according to Saudi-owned Al Aribiya television.
As airstrikes in Yemen entered their fourth day Sunday, they continued to target key military sites and weapons supplies aimed at debilitating the Houthis.
Ahmed Hassan Asiri, a spokesman for the Saudi-led mission, said in his Sunday briefing that the militias had been driven out of contested air bases and all jet fighters in the country had been destroyed.
Scud missiles have also been targeted in the last 24 hours and many had been eliminated, he said.
But Asiri warned that there remains a chance the Houthis are still hiding some missiles and Saudi-led forces were working hard to locate them.
Despite the heavy bombardment, Houthis were continuing to make advances toward the southern Saudi Arabia borders and the southern coastal city of Aden.
Asiri said the militias were deliberately targeting residential areas to confuse people into thinking that their homes were being targeted by the coalition carrying out airstrikes.
Medical sources in Al-Houdiedah said the airstrikes that targeted the airport there had damaged some nearby houses and injured 30 people, mostly women and children. Some were in critical condition.
Saudi tanks were also seen mobilizing toward the Yemen border, heightening fears that a ground invasion could be imminent.
The strikes are supported by embattled President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, who was forced to flee the coastal city of Aden several days ago.
He says the militias are backed by Iran, a claim the Islamic Republic denies, and told the Arab Summit on Saturday that the strikes must continue until the rebels are defeated.
That call was backed by Saudi Arabia's King Salman who said the operation will continue "until it achieves its goals for the Yemen people to achieve security."
Special correspondent Boyle reported from Cairo and Alaya'a from Sana, Yemen. Special correspondent Amro Hassan in Berlin contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times8:34 a.m.: This article was updated with Saudi military briefing, other details.
5:26 a.m.: This article was updated with new details throughout.
This article was first posted at 3:49 a.m.
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