Houthis control entry points of Yemen Presidency HQ

Houthi militants on Tuesday took control of the entry points of Yemen’s presidential palace in capital Sanaa, a presidential source has said.

“Houthi militants have taken control of security checkpoints surrounding the presidential palace,” the source, who requested anonymity, told reporters.

“There are presidential instructions not to clash with Houthi militants,” the source said.

A Houthi-linked news service said that “militants of the group are guarding the presidential palace from potential looting, not occupying it.”

Sanaa has been rocked by deadly clashes for the second consecutive day on Tuesday between Houthi militants and presidential guards, which left at least nine people dead.

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 seized control of Sanaa in September of 2014 and have since then moved to extend their control to other provinces.