Houthi militants in Yemen make their way to Sanaa

Houthi militants clashed on Thursday with the Yemeni army on the outskirts of the capital city of Sanaa, in the northwest of the country, ushering an escalation of the fighting and street protests that have now been taking place for weeks.

Residents in the north western district of Shamlan told Reuters news agency that Houthi insurgents are now advancing towards Thalatheen Street, which is the main road leading to the western edge of the city.

According to Al-Quds newspaper, a military source said that Houthi gunmen also attacked an army camp at the southern entrance to the capital, but the Yemeni soldiers successfully repelled the attack.

Yemeni sources have revealed that Iranian efforts, mediated by Oman, are now being made to reach an agreement between the Houthi movement and the Yemeni state to end the latest round of fighting between the rebel group and the tribes backed by the army.