Saudi soldiers detained by Houthis in Yemen

Saudi-led warplanes pounded rebel positions in Sanaa on Monday as the rebels called a mass rally to celebrate the first anniversary of their seizure of the Yemeni capital.

Hadi, who is recognised by the worldwide community, arrived on board a Saudi military aircraft that landed at an airbase adjoining Aden’s civilian airport, the security official told AFP.

Shortly afterwards, he promised a rapid return to Sanaa.

The White House said it had “worked tirelessly to secure the release” of the Americans since they were taken earlier this year.

Yemen’s president on Tuesday returned to the southern port city of Aden, seeking to re-establish control over the war-torn country after months in exile in neighboring Saudi Arabia, his office said.

Nearly daily air raids by Saudi-led forces have escalated since the Houthis fired a land-to-land missile at a coalition base in central Marib province two weeks ago, killing more than 60 soldiers, majority from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Hadi’s return comes ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice. (AP Photo/Adam Schreck, File)SANAA, Yemen: In Yemen’s Marib province, a key battleground in the fighting against Shiite rebels, frustration is growing in the ranks of troops backing the country’s president-in-exile after more than a week without gains on the ground.

The Emirati soldiers were killed on September 4 after a rocket was launched at an ammunition depot of the military brigade in Marib, causing severe explosions.

It has not been made immediately clear who the captives are, or confirmed when they were captured.

Sana’a – At least 30 civilians were killed and 20 wounded on Monday in air strikes carried out by a Saudi-led alliance in western Yemen, local sources said.

The death toll is likely to rise because some people are missing, another medical source said, as rescuers combed the rubble.

“We got rid of the disbelievers and the terrorists and we rebelled against the thieves of public money who perpetuated corruption, social injustice and the impoverishment of the Yemeni people”, said Houthi supporter Abdel Hamid al Ghurbani.

A security vacuum in Aden and much of Yemen’s south, which were won back from the Houthis in July, may yet delay the regrouping of the Yemeni state there as armed gangs and al Qaeda militants have stepped up their presence.

The Shiite clerical regime in Iran has provided weapons and other artillery support to the Houthis, and Washington has backed the Saudi campaign and provided intelligence for Riyadh’s operation there.

“Some of these tombs are for religious dignitaries and are 300 years old”, an official said.