SANAA, Yemen
Yemen's main internet service provider (ISP) on Thursday blocked a number of websites opposed to the Shiite Houthi group.
A number of news sites have been blocked by Yemennet, a prominent Yemeni ISP, according to Yemen's Maarib Press news website.
"This is a dangerous escalation against freedoms and an attempt to gag the media," the website asserted, going on to accuse the Houthis of blocking the websites.
Several journalists, meanwhile, told The Anadolu Agency that Yemennet had blocked numerous websites.
Yemen's Houthi-controlled Information Ministry on Wednesday said it planned to take legal action against media outlets that were "inciting tension."
Last September, the Houthis overran capital Sanaa. In the almost six months since, the group has sought to extend its influence to other provinces, seizing state facilities and military sites.
The Houthis' growing power has sent shockwaves across the Gulf region, culminating in a series of airstrikes on Thursday – led by Saudi Arabia – that targeted Houthi positions in Yemen.
