Houthi militias killed on Sunday a tribal leader in Dhamar city (100 kilometers south of Sanaa) along with four of his relatives in a continuation of their practices against supporters of former Yemeni President Ali Saleh and civilian, military and tribe members of his party following his death.
The group renewed on Sunday calls for its supporters to mobilize fighters in light of its anticipation and fear of the imminent military victory sought by the legitimate government and the Saudi-led coalition forces following recent field developments.
Houthi militants killed prominent tribal leader Sheikh Dhaif Allah Mothana along with his brother and two of his sons as they were passing a Houthi checkpoint in Dhamar, according to local sources and witnesses in the area.
They said that the militants objected to the tribal leader’s hanging of a Saleh poster on the window of his car. The situation then escalated and the militants broke the glass and shot Sheikh Mothana and his relatives.
Sources in Sanaa meanwhile said that head of the coup Presidency Council of Yemen Saleh al-Sammad met Sunday with officials loyal to the Houthis in Dhamar and Sanaa.
"We are heading to a new stage that requires supporting the fronts with popular momentum and vigils," Sammad said.
He also met Parliament Speaker Yahya al-Ra'i amid speculation that their talks were about the process of forcing the People's Congress party to support Houthis and rearranging it after Saleh’s death to ensure that it remains a political interface for the coup militia.
Houthis described Saleh as the “militia’s traitor leader" since he was assassinated on December 4 and his relatives, supporters and party leaders have been harassed in an attempt to blur everything related to him and criminalize all that glorifies him after the group looted his houses and the properties of his relatives.