Military commander survives assassination attempt by Al Houthi rebels

By Nasser Arrabyee/01/02/2010

A senior military commander was seriously injured in an ambush made by Al Houthi rebels in the areas around the city of Sa'ada , local sources said Monday.

Salem Al Wahaishi, commander of the brigade 103, who is also working as the deputy governor of Sa'ada, was seriously injured when Al Houthi rebels tried to kill him in an ambush in Al Okab area close to Sa'ada city late this after noon, the sources said.

Al Wahiashi, who was injured with a bullet in the neck, was taken on board of a helicopter to the capital Sana'a for treatments, the sources added.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni fighter jets have been bombing the strongholds of the rebels in Sa'ada since earlier this week when the rebels announced they would accept only five conditions of the government's six conditions if the military operations stop. \the conditions include not attacking Saudi Arabia and going down from the mountains and handing over the weapons.

The government rejected their acceptance describing it as shiftiness for gaining the time and regrouping themselves after painful strikes losses inflicted on them.

They rebels ignored completely the conditions of not attacking the territories of Saudi Arabia , in a way which angered the Yemeni government.

The military sources said Monday the air strikes destroyed the hide out the field leader Fulaitah in Bani Muath where also weapons' stores were destroyed.

Al Houthi rebels on their part said, the Saudi fighter jets launched 9 air strikes on border areas where his fighters are still fighting the Saudi army such as Al Husama, Shada , Al Malahaidh. The rebels also said in a statement sent through emails, that 820 Saudi missiles were fired Monday on those areas, despite the fact that both Saudi Arabia announced last week that it had driven out the rebels from its territories and the war with them had ended.

The rebels at the time also said that they had withdrawn from the Saudi territories.