Explosions Hit Hotel in Yemen

The rebels known as Huthis seized much of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, with the help of renegade troops loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The country’s official WAM news agency is quoting unnamed “informed sources and witnesses” for the death toll and blamed Yemen’s Houthi rebels and their allies for the deaths.

The claim, which was distributed on Twitter and included pictures of the four purported suicide bombers, couldn’t be independently verified. They are based in Aden, where forces loyal to them hold sway.

Salem Al Yazidi, a Yemeni fighter with a local militia allied with Hadi, described chaotic scenes when he rushed to aid the victims of the blast at the hotel.

The bombings also killed a number of Yemeni troops. President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was believed to be out of the country.

State media from coalition partner Qatar said no Yemeni government officials had been hurt in the hotel attack, which targeted the building’s gates.

Amnesty global called Wednesday for a “suspension” in transfers of certain arms to members of a Saudi-led coalition battling Yemeni rebels following “damning evidence of war crimes”.

The residents said they had unconfirmed reports that about 10 people were killed or wounded. It said 11 soldiers from other Arab countries also died, state news agency WAM reported.

Information about what exploded, and who was responsible, varied. He said a few of his fellow guards were killed and others were injured. He added that the attack on the Aden hotel “reinforces our need to destroy the forces of rebellion and destruction”.

Smoke billows from al-Qasr hotel after it was hit by explosions in the western suburbs of Yemen’ …

An army officer of the pro-government forces said that the rockets were fired by gunmen of the Shiite Houthi group from outside Aden city, particularly from an area located between neighboring provinces of Lahj and Taiz. But the targets have been Shiite mosques in Sanaa used by the Iran-backed Houthis.

“The conflict and restrictions imposed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition on the import of essential goods have exacerbated an already acute humanitarian situation resulting from years of poverty, poor governance and instability”, Amnesty says.

No one has claimed responsibility.

The Houthi advances forced Hadi to flee and prompted military intervention by Yemen’s northern neighbour Saudi Arabia and other Arab and Muslim states.

The Houthis have condemned the coalition for alleged war crimes.

On September 4, a rebel missile attack in the eastern Yemeni province of Marib killed 67 coalition troops, including 52 Emiratis.