Houthi rebels battled soldiers near Yemen’s presidential palace Monday morning, witnesses said. The status of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi was not immediately clear.
Witnesses nearby told The Associated Press that heavy machine gun fire could be heard as mortars fell around the palace. Civilians in the area fled the fighting as columns of black smoke rose over the palace.
–
Associated Press writer Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.
