Fighter jets target leadership hideouts and Al Houthi rebels hide in mosques

By Nasser Arrabyee/13/12/2009

Hideouts of the leadership of Al Houthi rebels in Mutrah, the main stronghold, were destroyed by the Yemeni fighter jets, military sources said Sunday.

Weapons' store and workshops for making mines and explosives in the same area were also destroyed, the sources said.

The sources also said that the remaining of the rebels inside the old city of Sa'ada have started to barricade inside the mosques after their women and children displaced from the houses to safer places in response to the calls of the army.

More than 100 families displaced from the old city of Sa'ada on Saturday and Sunday, and the rebel fighters transferred to the mosques to obstruct the army from eradicating them, said to the sources.

The remaining rebels, estimated at 200, being blockaded in the mosques, have only the option of surrender or death, as they will not be able to receive any supply from any place, said the sources.

The rebels outside Sa'ada city failed over the last two days to reduce the pressure of their comrades surrounded in the mosques of the old city despite repeated suicide attacks on the troops positioning in the areas around the city of Sa'ada like Muhdha, Makash and Al Sama'a.

Meanwhile, independent sources said that fighter jets bombed Sunday after noon groups of rebels in Muen area in Razeh district west of Sa'ada, killing and injuring dozens of them.

In a statement sent through emails by Al Houthi rebels, they said the fighters were Saudi and that they killed more than 70 people and injured more 100 in the Suk Muen in Razeh area.

They also said, in the statement, that the Saudi fighters implemented 50 air strikes 13 of them on north and east of Dhahyan city, about 40 km north west of Sa'ada city, and the others were on border areas with Saudi Arabia like Al Jabri centre, Jabal Al Rumaih, Al Ghawyah, and Al Majda'a.

Earlier in the day, the Yemeni security forces arrested a man in his way to deliver 50,000 US dollars to Al Houthi rebels in Sa'ada, said security sources Sunday.

The terrorist Hussein Mohammed Jubran, was arrested in Al Buqa'a with 10 million Yemeni riyals (50,000US$) in his possession, the sources said.

Jubran confessed that the money was the salaries of Al Houthi fighters in Razeh and Al Malahaid west of Sa'ada. Jubran also confessed that he had already delivered 20 million Yemeni Riyals (100,000 US$) two weeks ago to the rebels in Al Malahaid.

Meanwhile, security sources said that 11 Al Houthi rebels were arrested late at night Saturday in the old city of Sa'ada where the army has been implementing a storming operation from house to house for the 7th consecutive day to clean the city from the rebels.

More than 100 rebels have surrendered so far and dozens were killed and injured in the battles.