Yemeni Houthi rebels say former president Saleh killed

Media from Yemen’s Houthi-controlled interior ministry announced on Monday former president Ali Abdullah Saleh had been killed, a claim his party denies.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Media from Yemen’s Houthi-controlled interior ministry, in a radio broadcast cited by Reuters, announced on Monday former president Ali Abdullah Saleh had been killed, a claim his party denies.

Saleh has made no public appearance following the reports of his death.  

Houthi forces blew up the former president’s home in Yemen’s capital earlier in the day, according to a report by Reuters, citing local residents.

Saudi-led coalition air strikes had attacked the Iranian-backed Houthi forces.

An activist cited by Al Jazeera said the Houthi rebels seized control of most of Sanaa from Saleh’s forces.

Footage depicting a body which showed a resemblance to Saleh has surfaced on social media but has not been verified.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stated that 125 people had been killed and 238 wounded in Sanaa over the course of six days.

The ICRC’s regional director, Robert Mardini, said in a Twitter post on Sunday that “massive urban clashes with artillery and airstrikes” had “increased the vulnerability of Yemenis put in harm’s way.”

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for all sides to halt air and ground assaults.

The conflict in Yemen is often described as a broader regional struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The Saudi-led air campaign has not managed to make serious gains in its effort to bring Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the internationally recognized president of Yemen, back to power.

 

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany