Saleh’s son calls for revenge
SANAA/ DUBAI: The son of Yemeni ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was killed by the armed Houthi movement after switching sides in the civil war, called for revenge against the Iran-aligned group yesterday, Saudi- owned al- Ekbariya TV quoted him as saying.
It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the report.
“I will lead the battle until the last Houthi is thrown out of Yemen ... the blood of my father will be hell ringing in the ears of Iran,” Ahmed Ali Saleh was quoted as saying.
He called for his father’s backers to “take back Yemen from the Iranian Houthi militias”.
The veteran former leader was killed in a shooting attack on Monday after switching sides, abandoning his Houthi allies in favour of a Saudi-led alliance.
Saleh’s death deepens the complexity of the multi-sided war, with much depending on the future allegiances of his loyalists.
The Saudi- led coalition was counting on him to give them an edge in the conflict.
Saleh had a wide following in Yemen, including army officers and armed tribal leaders who once served under him, and his allies may still be able to have some impact on the war.
Ahmed Ali has lived under house arrest in the United Arab Emirates, where he once served as ambassador before it joined ally Saudi Arabia to make war on the Houthis, who until this week had ruled much of Yemen together with Saleh. — Reuters