Alwaght-Clashes continue between Yemen’s Ansarullah fighters and government troops as a ceasefire has reportedly been revoked, as Press TV reports.
According to English.irib.ir, Ansarullah revolutionaries, also known as Houthis, battled soldiers near the Presidential Palace and elsewhere across the capital, Sana’a, on Monday.
According to witnesses, gunfire and several explosions were heard around the city and near the palace in southern Sana’a as columns of black smoke could be seen rising over the place. Meanwhile, the Houthis' al-Maseera satellite television channel said the military opened fire on their patrol in the area of the palace, which led to the outbreak of violence.
Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi does not live at the palace; however, additional soldiers and tanks surrounded his residence nearby amid irregular gunfire, witnesses said. Yemeni Information Minister Nadia Sakkaf had earlier said Hadi cut a ceasefire deal with Houthi fighters. This came as clashes later resumed, with more smoke billowing out of the Presidential Palace, as Press TV reported.
Sakkaf further said that Prime Minister Khaled Bahah's convoy was targeted after leaving Hadi's home. He has reportedly escaped the attack unharmed. She further said that Ansarullah forces have taken control of the country's state-run media. In a separate development, Yemeni media reported that the oil production in Hadhramaut province’s Masila field came to a halt on Monday.
Yemen has seen rising tensions between Ansarullah fighters and government troops after the Shia fighters arrested Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, Hadi's chief of staff, at a checkpoint in the country’s southern district of Hada.
According to Yemen News Agency, Mubarak is also the secretary general of the national dialogue committee which aims to secure a political transition in the strife-torn country. Ansarullah revolutionaries accuse him of being a foreign agent.
The violence apparently stems from Houthis' rejection of a draft constitution that seeks to divide the country into six federal regions, Telegraph.co.uk reported. A Houthi official says fighters with the Ansarullah Shia movement have seized control of a Yemeni army base on a hill overlooking the presidential palace in the capital, Sana’a.
The Shia fighters “at this moment control the Nahdain mountain, which overlooks the presidential complex,” said the official, Ali al-Bukhaiti. “They have allowed soldiers to leave with their personal weapons,” he added.
Informed military sources say a group of soldiers gave up part of the base to Houthis, Fars News Agency Reported.
According to Daily Mail, Ansarullah revolutionaries battled soldiers near the presidential palace and elsewhere across the capital on Monday. Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi does not live at the palace.
Casualties
Earlier in the day, clashes between the army and Shia fighters in Sana’a killed at least two people and wounded 14 others, Press TV reported. The bodies and the wounded were brought to the Quds Military Hospital close to the presidential palace in southern Sana’a.
Yemeni Information Minister Nadia Sakkaf has said the country’s president has cut a ceasefire deal with Houthi fighters. A tense situation is underway in Yemen. Security officials say a ceasefire deal has taken effect in the capital Sana’a following clashes.
The agreement has been reached between government forces and Ansarullah fighters. The deal follows violent clashes between the two sides in Sana’a. Earlier, Ansarullah fighters captured a military base overlooking the presidential palace. The state TV and the news agency are also under their control. At least nine people have been killed and dozens more injured in the violence. The fighters have been engaged in clashes with presidential guards since the early hours of Monday morning. Tensions have been on the rise since Saturday after the fighters detained an aide to President Abd Rabouh Mansour Hadi. They accuse the aide of being an agent for the United States.
It seems that governments such as Saudi and America seek to divide this country into six federal regions in order to weaken the Yemeni government. In other words, they try to weaken Ansarullah, because they see their interest will be at risk in a Shia government. In fact, they want to turn a country into six regions to maintain their influence in Yemen. Accordingly, destabilizing Yemen can be the best and strong strategy for Saudi and US.
