Tribesmen Capture Senior Houthi Member İn Yemen's Maarib

Yemeni tribesmen from the eastern province of Maarib on Sunday detained a leading member of the Shiite Houthi group and seven others accompanying him, according to a tribal source in the province.



"Maarib tribesmen, who are engaged in fierce clashes with Houthis and loyalists of ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh, managed to ambush Houthi leader Ali al-Zarei near the province's Sirwah district," a tribal source, requesting anonymity, told The Anadolu Agency.



"The tribesmen also succeeded in capturing seven others who were accompanying al-Zarei," the source said.



The source went on to note that armed tribesmen managed to recapture several locations in Sirwah that were overrun by Houthis over the past few days.



The source's claims could not be independently verified and Houthi leaders were not available for an immediate comment.



Recently, armed tribesmen have been fighting members of the Shiite Houthi group in the western part of the oil-rich Maarib province.



Yemen in general has remained in a state of turmoil since 2011 when a popular uprising forced ex-President Saleh to step down a year later.



Almost one month ago, Saudi Arabia and several other Arab states began striking – from the air – Houthi positions across Yemen.



Saudi Arabia says the strikes come in response to appeals by embattled Yemeni President ABD Rabbuh Mansour Hadi for help against the Houthis, who overran capital Sanaa late last year and have since advanced on other provinces.



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