Thousands rally in Sanaa over mosque protection as Yemen war escalates
Thousands gathered in Sanaa to back mosque protection and reject the Saudi blockade, as Houthi advances deepen Yemen's war.
Thousands of Yemenis filled the streets of Sanaa on Friday in a show of support for the protection of holy mosques and to reject the Saudi blockade on the country.
Some demonstrators carried rifles, and the crowds chanted slogans directed against the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia. The rally also included the national anthem and religious chants.
The gathering followed a pre-recorded speech on Thursday by Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Iran-backed Houthi movement, who denounced what he described as Saudi Arabia's "utterly heinous lies" over claims that the group had targeted Mecca.
The protest comes a week after Houthi rebels pushed down Yemen's Red Sea coast, extending their reach to a key maritime chokepoint and threatening Saudi Arabia's oil exports. The advance marked the group's largest land grab in years, reigniting Yemen's 12-year civil war and pushing up global fuel prices.
The Houthis have also been firing at Saudi oil facilities and tankers. An attack on Saudi Arabia's east-west pipeline, blamed on Iran-backed militias in Iraq, added to the pressures facing the kingdom and unsettled world markets.
The renewed fighting has forced some 125,000 Yemenis to flee their homes. The conflict has killed more than 150,000 people and at times brought the country to the brink of famine.
Rebels now appear to be eyeing Yemen's oil-rich east. The only forces standing in their way are Yemen's Saudi-backed government and an array of groups that have fought one another as recently as January. Saudi Arabia's most important ally, the United States, appears to be sitting this one out.