Brother of Houthi leader killed because of infighting, says Saudi-led coalition

Spokesman for the coalition said it also intercepted a Houthi drone on Sunday evening

epa07764549 A supporter of the Houthi rebels holds up a banner depicting a portrait of the leader of the Houthi rebels, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, during a rally protesting the Saudi-led military campaign on Yemen, outside Sana'a Airport in Sana'a, Yemen, 09 August 2019. According to reports, the Houthi rebels announced that Ibrahim al-Houthi, a brother of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, has been assassinated at a house in the capital and accused unidentified people linked to the Saudi-led coalition of killing al-Houthi who was an influential military commander among the Houthi forces.  EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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The brother of Abdelmalik Al Houthi, leader of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, was killed during factional infighting, the Saudi-led coalition said on Sunday.

On Friday, the Houthis blamed the US for the assassination of Ibrahim Al Houthi in the capital Sanaa.

But the coalition said Al Houthi had been killed as part of a dispute between different factions in the rebel group, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

The focus of the conflict in recent days in Yemen has been to the south of the country where separatists took over the presidential palace in the port city of Aden, the seat of the interim government, fracturing the alliance that had been battling the Houthis.

On Saturday, Saudi Arabia and the UAE called for an end to the fighting in Aden and a meeting between the sides.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, said the UAE was “exerting all efforts to calm and de-escalate the situation”.

Sheikh Abdullah said that the two camps should focus their efforts on fighting the Houthi rebels instead of each other.

Meanwhile, fighting between the coalition and Houthis continues.

On Sunday evening, Coalition spokesman Col Turki Al Malki said its troops intercepted and shot down a drone fired by the Houthis from Sanaa towards the kingdom.