An article in the Washington Post by David Ignatius reveals previously unreported French involvement in Yemen's Houthi conflict last year.

It says that the Saudis asked the US for imagery from surveillance satellites to assist their bombing of rebel positions in Yemen, but this was blocked by the State Department who feared that it "could violate the laws of war".

France, which has its own satellites, then stepped in and provided imagery, the paper says. The deal was reportedly sealed when President Sarkozy visited Riyadh on November 17 last year: "By the first night of Sarkozy's visit, detailed pictures of the Yemeni battle space began to move electronically to the Saudis."

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 13 November 2010