A Qatari official confirmed on Tuesday that the tiny Gulf state had dispatched 1,000 troops for Yemen, "ready to fight" as part of the Arab coalition against Iran-backed Shiite rebels.

The Qatari forces have not yet entered the country but were positioned at Yemen's border with Saudi Arabia, the source said.

It was the first confirmation by an official in Doha of a report this week by Qatar's Al-Jazeera news channel that the country had sent troops to Yemen.