Yemen: Saleh seeks Iran, Hezbollah to mediate dispute with Houthis

Ousted Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has asked Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group to help contain his dispute with Shia Houthi rebels, source told Al Jazeera.

There was no immediate comment from Iran or Hezbollah about the report.

Earlier on Saturday, Saleh’s forces, in cooperation with a number of tribes, expelled Houthi militias from the capital, Sana’a and tightened their control over a number of vital installations, triggering clashes between the two sides resulted in the death of nearly 140 people and injuring hundreds more.

Meanwhile, Houthi militias responded by arresting a number of Saleh supporters in the countryside surrounding Sana’a.

Saleh formed an alliance with Houthi rebels against forces loyal to the government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi who is supported by the Saudi-led Arab alliance. However recently there have been tensions between the two sides.

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Earlier today, the Houthis took control of the homes and properties of Saleh’s sons and relatives in Sana’a.

“The security forces in Sana’a, backed by wide popular support, have cleared the places where treason and treachery [Saleh’s] militias are based, from several military barracks in which they were stationed,” the spokesman of the Houthis, Mohamed Abdel Salam, said in a statement.