Local Editor
Deposed Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been killed, Yemen’s interior ministry announced Monday.
Saleh was killed while on his way to the city of Marib in Yemen, according to Iranian media.
The killing of Saleh was also reported by a radio station in Yemen, which belongs to the country's Interior Ministry. Tasnim agency shared an unverified image, allegedly depicting a dead Saleh with a wound to the head.
The reports emerged following earlier news suggesting that the Houthis had blown up Saleh’s home in the capital, Sana’a. Since then, the ex-leader’s whereabouts have been unknown.
Heavy fighting has been ongoing in Yemen's capital in recent days, with the Saudi-led coalition launching strikes on Houthi positions. On Monday, the Houthis made gains against forces supporting the former president. According to witness reports in local media, there was intense fighting overnight, with explosions rocking the city into Monday morning.
The intensified fighting, with the US-backed Saudis launching new attacks on Houthi forces, has “completely paralyzed humanitarian operations” in the Yemeni capital, AP reported Monday citing an adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, Suze van Meegen. “No one is safe in Sanaa at the moment,” she said.
On Sunday, the former leader of the war-torn country formally renounced his alliance with the Houthis. Together these groups have been fighting against the Saudi-backed forces of resigned President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi since 2015. Saleh now pledged to step up his fight with the group, having re-aligned his forces with Saudi Arabia.
In an earlier televised speech, Saleh said that he made the decision to cease fighting in the country, having asked Riyadh to stop attacks on Yemen in exchange for his support. "I call upon the brothers in neighboring states and the alliance to stop their aggression, lift the siege, open the airports and allow food aid and the saving of the wounded and we will turn a new page by virtue of our neighborliness," he said.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
