Social media has lit up with messages of support and congratulations for the Saudi government in the wake of the military action in Yemen.

One tweet by Al-Hilal first team football captain Yasser Al-Qahtani was retweeted over 10,000 times. Al-Qahtani called on citizens to reject rumors and support the country’s armed forces. He also warned that they should be careful about posting information about the army that could aid the enemy.

Various activists and prominent members of the community hailed the Saudi-led operation. They said it would help protect Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi from the Houthi rebels and stop Iran from interfering in Yemen’s internal affairs.

Many Arabs expressed support and admiration for the airstrikes by the coalition forces on strategic locations held by the Houthis and other militias supporting former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Some users posted tweets saying that Saudi Arabia was sending a message to the entire world that the Kingdom and Arabs would not stand idly by and allow Iran to interfere and sow division in their countries.

A number of tweets praised Saudi Arabia for uniting Arab countries twice within two months, first by leading the alliance against the terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria, and now with the operation in Yemen.

Some users tweeted that the name of the operation, “Decisive Storm,” was inspired by a saying of King Abdul Aziz, the founder of the Kingdom.

The late monarch had apparently written a poem in which he emphasized the importance of dealing decisively with issues, as opposed to allowing matters to fester and become worse.

Others said they were proud that Saudi Arabia, as an important regional and international power, had taken firm steps to help the Yemeni people. A prominent local writer, Fahd Afet, tweeted that he supported the operation, and pledged his loyalty to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman.

There were several comments lambasting former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. “You came to us wounded and burned, so we treated and protected you. We will not treat you the same if you came to us today and asked for forgiveness,” said one tweet.

Other tweets praised Egypt for joining the coalition. Activists said President Abdul Fattah El-Sissi had fulfilled his promise of helping Arab countries in need. It was a clear message that Arab nations plan to unite against threats to their security and stability, the users said.