CAIRO, Mar 26 (Aswat Masriya) - The Council of Arab Foreign Ministers at the Arab League approved on Thursday a draft resolution to form a unified Arab force during a closed session ahead of the league's summit, AL Secretary General Nabil al-Araby said.

The draft will be discussed and voted on during the League's summit, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

The purpose of the proposed force is to "preserve internationally recognised legitimacy", Araby said in a joint press conference with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri following the session.

Araby added that the proposed force is in line with the 1950 Treaty of Joint Defence and Economic Co-operation between the states of the AL and article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

Earlier today, Saudi Arabia launched military operations in its conflict-torn neighbour Yemen as part of a coalition combining nine other countries, including Egypt.

Araby stressed the league's "full support" to the Saudi-led operations in Yemen.  

Egypt has been steadfast on calls to form the force, particularly since launching coordinated airstrikes on militant targets in Libya in February.

The airstrikes were in response to the beheading of 20 Egyptians at the hands of militants believed to belong to the Libya division of the Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria.

The 26th AL summit is the first to be held in Egypt since the January 2011 uprising which toppled the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak.