World Bulletin / News Desk 

Ex-Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Saturday blamed Arab leaders for the shedding of blood in his restive country.

In a televised address, Saleh described an ongoing Saudi-led military campaign against Yemen's Houthi group as "barbaric."

He called for suspending the "aggression" against Yemen and solving the country's problems through dialogue.

The ex-Yemeni President also called on Arab leaders to reach their hands out to help Yemenis return to the negotiations table so that they could finalize the dialogue they started months ago.

"Dialogue is the solution, not airstrikes," Saleh said.

He said he would support any president in the future, vowing not to run or allow any of his family members to run in Yemen's presidential elections in the years to come.

Several Arab states have joined a Saudi-led offensive, which kicked off late Wednesday with a string of airstrikes against the positions of the Houthi group in Yemen, including some in capital Sanaa.

Saudi Arabia said the strikes were in response to calls by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi for military intervention to "save the people from the Houthi militias."