Updated at 1:00 pm (GMT+2): Clashes between Houthi militiamen and tribesmen fighting alongside al-Qaeda militants killed 26 people in Yemen, local officials said, as the United Arab Emirates and Spain joined Saudi Arabia and Western countries in closing its embassy in the country.
Heavy fighting was ongoing in the southern mountainous province of al-Bayda, leading to the death of 16 Houthi fighters along with 10 tribesmen and militants, security officials and tribal sources told Reuters.
The state faces collapse in Yemen two weeks after the Houthi group took formal control of the country and continued an armed push southward.
Meanwhile, three Yemeni protesters were wounded Saturday after militants believed to belong to the Houhti movement opened fire to disperse an anti-Houthi demonstration in Yemen's central Ibb province, eyewitnesses told Anadolu news agency.
Bearing weapons emblazoned with the Houthi insignia, militants opened fire and forcibly dispersed a protest in the city of Ibb, leaving three protesters injured, the eyewitness said.
"Wounded protesters were transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment," he said.
A security source, who declined to be named, said protesters torched a vehicle belong to the Houthi militia.
UAE, Spain close embassies
France, the United States, Britain, Germany, Italy and Saudi Arabia have closed their missions in the capital Sanaa and withdrawn staff, citing security concerns.
The United Arab Emirates announced the closure of its embassy in Sanaa on Saturday, state news agency WAM said.
It cited "the increasing deterioration of the political and security situation Yemen is witnessing and the tragic events after the Houthis undermined the legitimate authority."
Yemen's rich Gulf Arab neighbors loathe the Iran-backed rebels and have called their rise to power a "coup."
Foreign ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council are to meet later on Saturday in the Saudi capital Riyadh for expected talks on the Yemen crisis.
Spain said it was suspending embassy activity in Yemen "in light of the current situation of insecurity and instability in Sanaa".
"Spain trusts that the causes of this decision will be resolved shortly and that the embassy can soon resume its duties normally," the foreign ministry said.
"The government reiterates its support for a process of democratic transition in Yemen that leads to the forming of an inclusive government that can meet the desires for freedom, democracy and prosperity of the Yemeni people."
It said that the embassy had contacted all members of the "small Spanish community in Yemen" and advised them to "temporarily" leave the Arabian Peninsula country.
On Thursday, Hussein al-Ezzi, described as the Houthi militia's head of foreign relations, said the closures of Western embassies were designed to put "pressure" on the Yemeni people.
"The decisions of some Western countries to close their embassies in Sanaa are absolutely unjustified," he was quoted as saying by the official Saba news agency, which is under Houthi control.
Ezzi said the countries that closed their embassies "will quickly realize that it is in their interests to deal positively with the will of the Yemeni people, which they must respect."
Hailing their advance as a "revolution" aimed at corrupt officials and economic ruin, the Houthis dissolved parliament and set up their own ruling body earlier this month.
Opponents say the group is backed by Yemen's former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was ousted in 2011 protests after 33 years in power, and is bent on seizing land and the levers of power.
The Houthi spread to Yemen's well-armed tribal regions in the East and South has prompted locals to make common cause with militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
The Houthi expansion has angered al-Qaeda’s powerful Yemeni branch, which views Shias as heretics and Houthis as pawns of Iran.
Months of combat and AQAP bombings directed against Houthi targets in Sanaa have stoked fears of an all-out war.
However, the Pentagon confirmed on Friday that the US would continue its military operations in Yemen despite having closed its embassy earlier this week.
“We still have special operations forces in Yemen. We're still capable of conducting counter-terrorism operations in Yemen,” said Pentagon press secretary John Kirby. “We're still conducting limited counter-terrorism training with Yemeni security forces outside of Sanaa.”
The US has conducted at least four drone strikes in the country since US President Barack Obama vowed on January 25 not to let up in Washington's campaign against militant Islamist organizations in Yemen despite the country's political turmoil.
Hadi’s government has let the US conduct a drone war against al-Qaeda in Yemen.
Critics of US drone strikes have denounced the impact the attacks have had on Yemeni civilians, who have regularly been killed or seen their homes destroyed.
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