Saudi Gazette report

Aden — The Coalition Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen called on ‘honest Yemenis’ to unify efforts around their uprising and praised former president Ali Abdullah Saleh for “taking the lead” after he announced he was open to talks with the Coalition.

“This stage in Yemen’s history requires the honest Yemeni people to rally behind this blessed uprising,” the Coalition said in a statement on Saturday after Saleh spoke in a live TV address to slam Houthis amid fierce clashes between his loyalists and the Iran-backed militia in Sanaa.

“The people have revolted against Houthi aggression,” he said.

Saleh urged an end to “militia rule on Yemeni land,” adding that Houthis had continued their “provocative acts against Yemeni citizens.”

He also demanded that armed Yemeni forces refrain from taking any orders from the Houthi militia, and called for “opening a new page with neighboring countries.”

“The decision by (Saleh's) General People’s Congress (GPC) to take the lead and their choice to side with their people will free Yemen of... militias loyal to Iran,” the coalition said in its statement.

The Coalition also said that it recognizes the noble members of the Yemeni General People’s Congress (GPC), the GPC’s leadership and the Yemeni people who were forced to remain under Houthi-Iranian control.

Also, the Coalition recognizes that these noble individuals have endured numerous murder threats, torture, bombings and seizure of public and private property.

The Coalition noted that their brothers in the alliance toward restoring legitimacy in Yemen was keen that the restoration of their initiative and their allegiance to the Yemeni people — and the Yemeni people’s stand in the circumstances — would rid Yemen of the Iranian sectarian terrorist militia’s evils.

It confirmed the Coalition’s support with all its capabilities in all fields for the Yemeni people to protect the country’s territory, identity, territorial integrity and social fabric.

Meanwhile, residents of Sanaa described heavy fighting on the streets of Hadda, a southern residential district of the Yemeni capital where many of Saleh's relatives, including his nephew Tareq, live, early on Saturday, with sounds of explosions and gunfire heard all over the area.

The fighting subsided by the afternoon as Saleh supporters secured control.

Three mediation initiatives were carried out between Saleh and the Houthis since Friday, but they did not reach any solutions. They could not calm the situation, according to information.

Since midnight Saturday the clashes between the followers of Saleh and the Houthis spread to Dar Silm, Al-Hothaili and Kholan Street.

The Houthis deployed four tanks in the Hadda District streets to terrify Sanaa residents so that they don’t rally behind Saleh and his supporters.

Information indicates that the general situation in Sanaa is catastrophic and the people are in a state of fear.

According to information, security patrols and military police refused to obey orders from Houthi commanders to carry out a night attack on the political district and Al-Saleh Grand Mosque.

Revolt has started in some units against the Houthis in Sanaa.

Tribes have started moving to strengthen Saleh’s position. The Kholan and Sanhan tribes are controlling the southern gateway to Sanaa.

The public opinion is to support the GPC and Saleh. The people are chanting “No Houthis after today.”

At the time of reporting, at least three Houthi commanders — Hamza Yahya Al-Mokhtar, Ali Khoraim, Abdullah Bin Salim Al-Sharif — have were killed. The clashes resulted in the death of Al-Fawaris district chief in Sanaa, Shikh Mansour Al-Nahimi.

The Saleh followers are controlling the presidential palace, Al-Nahdain district and military strongholds which have been wrested from the Houthi militias.