Iran evacuates diplomats from Yemen

Houthis patrol around after the clashes between Houthis and Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s supporters took place in Sanaa, Yemen on 5 December 2017 [Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency]

Iran has evacuated its diplomats from the Yemeni capital of Sana’a and sent them to Oman, Russian news agency Sputnik reported.

The news agency cited a senior source in the Iranian foreign ministry saying that Tehran has evacuated its diplomats because of the increased security risks in Sana’a.

The source, who declined to be named, said the Iranian embassy in Muscat, as the closest Iranian diplomatic centre to Yemen will be responsible for the tasks related to the Iranian embassy in Sana’a.

Houthi militants maintained a heavy presence across Sana’a yesterday for the second day after the death of deposed Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Yemen FM: ‘Iranian regime has pushed too far through its proxy, the Houthis’

According to residents, citizens have decided to leave Sana’a heading to villages, amid continued concern about the possibility of other armed confrontations.

The Yemeni capital has witnessed fierce battles between Houthi militants and Saleh forces in the past few days under a heavy Saudi bombing campaign.

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