Rebels ‘kill ex-leader of Yemen’

YEMEN’S former president was reportedly killed yesterday as loyalists and rebels battled for control of the capital.

An online video purports to show Ali Abdullah Saleh with a gaping head wound, carried by rebel fighters chanting ‘God is great’, who then dump his body in a pick-up vehicle.

Mr Saleh, 75, ruled for more than 30 years, but was overthrown after the Arab Spring uprising in 2012. He went on to join anti-government Houthi fighters as they seized control of much of Yemen in 2015.

In recent days he defected to a Saudi-led coalition that has been bombing Iran-backed Houthis. The Houthi leader hailed the death as a ‘great and significant occasion’.