SANAA, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia has joined Western states in evacuating staff from Yemen after a power grab by Shi’ite Muslim Houthi militia there, a move reflecting the hostility of majority Sunni Muslim neighbors towards the Iranian-backed Houthis.
Riyadh has suspended all work at its embassy in Yemen and evacuated its staff “due to the deterioration of the security and political situation,” state news agency SPA reported on Friday, citing an official at the foreign ministry.
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Al Qaeda-linked fighters seized a large army base in a dawn attack in the southern province of Shabwa on Thursday, after several hours of heavy clashes.
In response, tribal fighters took over two other army barracks in Shabwa on Friday to prevent al Qaeda seizing more weapons and avoid a Houthi attack on the south, tribal sources told Reuters. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari, Mohammed Mukhashaf, Alexandra Hudson, James Mackenzie, Omar Fahmy, Editing by Angus MacSwan and Ralph Boulton)
