SANAA
A number of foreign embassies in Yemeni capital Sanaa have closed down against the background of clashes that erupted near the presidential palace between presidential guards and Shiite Houthi militants earlier in the day.
According to an Anadolu Agency correspondent, several missions, including those of the U.S., Britain, Germany and Netherlands, closed their doors due to the violence.
Clashes erupted earlier on Monday between Houthi vigilantes and presidential guards near the presidential palace in Sanaa.
The Houthis say the clashes had left two of its fighters wounded, accusing the presidential guards of indiscriminately shelling houses near the site. A Yemeni Health Ministry source said that a number of civilians were also killed, while others wounded.
A presidential source said that the clashes had come to an end and that Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi would meet later Monday with his advisors, including those affiliated with the Houthi group.
Yemen has been suffering lawlessness since a popular uprising that erupted in 2011 ended the autocracy of President Ali Abdullah Saleh a year later.
The Houthis have controlled capital Sanaa in September of 2014 and have since then moved to extend their control to other Yemeni provinces.
Yemen's Hadi meets with advisors on Sanaa clashes
Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi has started a meeting in Yemeni capital Sanaa with presidential advisors, who include Saleh al-Sammad, an advisor affiliated with the Shiite Houthi movement.
An Anadolu Agency correspondent said that the meeting would discuss clashes that erupted earlier on Monday between presidential guards and Houthi militants near the presidential palace in Sanaa.
The Houthis say the clashes had left two of their militants wounded, accusing the presidential guards of indiscriminately shelling houses near the site.
There has, however, been no comment from the Yemeni government on the claim.
A source with the Yemeni Health Ministry, meanwhile, said the clashes had left one man dead and nine others wounded.
Yemen has been suffering lawlessness since a popular uprising that erupted in 2011 ended the autocracy of President Ali Abdullah Saleh a year later.
The Houthis have controlled capital Sanaa in September of 2014 and have since then moved to extend their control to other Yemeni provinces.
