A senior American diplomat says the U.S. is committed to defending Saudi Arabia and has sped up the delivery of weapons to the Saudi-led coalition launching airstrikes in Yemen.

Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in the Saudi capital of Riyadh that Washington also has increased its intelligence sharing and has set up a joint coordination and planning cell in the Saudi operations center overseeing the campaign.

He made the comments Tuesday after meeting with senior Saudi royals and Yemen's President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled his country due to Houthi rebel advances and is seeking refuge in Saudi Arabia for the time-being.

Blinken says the U.S. and the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council must coordinate closely and press all parties to seek a consensus political solution.

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