Coalition hits Sanaa as Yemen rebels mark its seizure

SANAA: Saudi-led warplanes pounded rebel positions in Sanaa on Monday as the rebels called a mass rally to celebrate the first anniversary of their seizure of the Yemeni capital.

Six months of alliance air raids in backing of exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, converted into a ground process in late July, the insurgents still take control of the north and centre of the country.

They invaded the capital unchallenged one year ago with the provision of renegade crowd still faithful to Hadi’s ousted precursor Ali Abullah Saleh.

The pre-dawn air walkouts on Sanaa targeted Saleh’s followers as well as the Shiite Huthi rebels, witnesses said.

One attack targeted the home of a leading lawmaker from Saleh’s General People’s Congress party, Ahmed al-Kahlani, the witnesses said.

Others point outs arms banned  in the east of the capital controlled by pro-Saleh army units.

Saleh is himself a Shiite but the Huthis’ association with the exiled strongman was extensively seen as marriage of suitability as they had led recurrent revolts in contradiction of his rule before his overthrow after a bloody Arab Spring-inspired uprising in 2011.

The protesters called on their fans to turn out in statistics to mark the centenary of their appropriation of Sanaa and “prove to the world that the people stands by the leadership of the revolution.”

The rebels were eliminated from five southern provinces to militaries loyal to the expatriate president since July and are fighting an aggressive in Marib province east of the capital.

But as Prime Minister Khaled Bahah returned from exile to the main southern city of Aden last week, he acknowledged that his government still faces challenges, even in the south.

“The future challenge is how to prepare ourselves to defend this city and neighbouring provinces,” he said. – AFP