Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — The Yemen Army are now battling Shi’ite rebels in the capital of the Arab state.

Army units have opened fire on the Iran-backed Houthi movement amid its campaign against the Sanaa government. The Shi’ites have fought gun battles with the army in Sanaa as rebels attacked government buildings and military installations.

“The Al Houthi group may not and cannot continue its escalation and its disturbance of the public tranquillity and the undermining of security and stability in the capital,” Yemeni President Abbed Rabbo Mansour Hadi said.

On Sept. 9, at least seven people were killed and more than 40 injured in clashes between the army and Al Houthi. Officials said the Shi’ite protesters took over ministerial buildings as well as the main road to Sanaa International Airport as part of the Houthi campaign to topple the government.

“We vow to continue in our position and dismiss any questioning of our intentions,” Houthi movement leader Abdul Malek Al Houthi said. “The solution is to respond definitively to the popular demands, and we are serious in these demands.”

The protest campaign has been punctuated by gun battles. During the massive demonstrations in Sanaa, Shi’ite rebels attacked a Yemen Army base south of the capital.

Officials said Houthi was deploying gunmen among the protesters. They said the Shi’ites opened fire on the Cabinet building as well as the headquarters of state radio.

The battles have sparked the evacuation of Arab and Western embassies in Sanaa. Officials said diplomats managed to reach the airport despite a sit-in by Houthi supporters. On Sept. 9, the British Foreign Office urged citizens to leave Yemen.

The Shi’ite rebel movement has also been battling government-aligned Sunni tribes in the northern province of Jawf. The Yemen Air Force has been supporting the tribes with air strikes over the last three days.

  Abbed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, Abdul Malek Al Houthi, Iran-backed rebels join Shi’ite protesters in Yemen’s capital city, Sanaa