A New York court sentenced Saudi exile Khalid al-Fawwaz to life in prison Friday over his role in the 1998 Al-Qaida bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa which killed 224 people.

Fawwaz, a 52-year-old described in court as one of late Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's most trusted lieutenants, was convicted in February after a five week trial.

President Barack Obama tried to reassure America's Gulf allies Thursday that engaging with Iran would not come at their expense, at a Camp David summit that proved short on concrete outcomes.

Pledging to counter external threats to Gulf states amid Iran's growing role in the region, Obama said his security commitment to the decades-old allies was "ironclad."  

President Barack Obama sought to reassure Persian Gulf nations on Thursday that the United States is committed to their security, insisting a nuclear deal with Iran would not leave them more vulnerable.

Obama and leaders from the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries met in a rare summit at Camp David, the presidential retreat. They were expected to issue a statement announcing new military commitments, including joint exercises and ballistic missile cooperation.

Yemen's government in exile said Thursday it was recalling the head of its embassy in Iran, accusing Tehran of "interference in our affairs and support for the Huthis" rebelling against authorities.

"The legitimate government of Yemen is recalling charge d'affaires Abdullah al-Sirri," a statement from the press office of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi said.

The United Nations Thursday appealed to all sides in the Yemen conflict to respect a fragile five-day truce in the country in a bid to boost the delivery of sorely-needed aid.

The plea made by the U.N. envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed, came as Saudi-led forces accused Shiite rebels of violating the truce on Thursday, two days after it took effect.

U.S. President Barack Obama hailed America's "extraordinary friendship" with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, as he hosted skeptical Gulf leaders at the White House for a summit beset by disagreements and royal no-shows.

Describing "an extraordinary friendship and relationship that dates back to (U.S. president) Franklin Roosevelt and King Faisal," in the 1940s, Obama heaped praise on two powerful Saudi princes in the Oval Office.

The U.N.'s food agency warned Wednesday that the situation in Yemen was "catastrophic," as aid agencies rushed to take advantage of a temporary ceasefire to help desperate civilians.

Nearly seven weeks of Saudi-led air strikes against Iran-backed rebels has caused severe shortages in water, fuel and medical aid as well as heavily disrupting trade, crippling a country dependent on imported food.

The tag-team of princes representing Saudi Arabia at a summit with President Barack Obama in Washington from Wednesday have relatively little in common -- except their extreme power.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the kingdom's 55-year-old interior minister, is a known quantity in Washington, a longtime security chief praised for efforts against al-Qaida that saw the jihadist group try to assassinate him.

Aid agencies began delivering help to desperate civilians Wednesday as a five-day ceasefire took hold in Yemen after nearly seven weeks of Saudi-led air strikes against Iran-backed rebels.

The five-day humanitarian pause -- which began at 11:00 pm (2000 GMT) on Tuesday -- is the first break in the air war in support of exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi since its launch on March 26 and has strong backing from Washington.

Saudi Arabia beheaded three Yemenis for drug trafficking on Wednesday, bringing to 83 the number of executions in little more than four months, compared with 87 all of last year.

The condemned men, Eisa Ali Ahmed Hajri, Mohammed Ali Saifi and Majid Gasim al-Ahdal, were convicted of trying to smuggle hashish into the kingdom, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.