Airlines suspend flights to Yemeni capital

 

International airlines have suspended flights to the Yemeni capital of Sanaa for the coming 24 hours, amid a worsening security situation, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said on Friday, according to Agence France-Presse.

“Arab and foreign airlines have decided to suspend their flights to Sanaa for 24 hours because of developments in the capital,” the CAA said in a statement issued overnight.

The statement added that the measure could be extended or reconsidered depending on the security situation.

Armed Shiite rebels, known as the Houthis, have been carrying out a series of attacks in an attempt to push into Sanaa, after clashing with the army in the army on its northwestern outskirts where Houthi fighters attacked the headquarters of Yemen’s state television, security sources said.

The clashes caused further instability in the country, as fighting and protests have been dragging on for weeks.

The attack on the TV headquarters prompted Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to hold emergency talks with top cabinet aides.

On Thursday, nearly 40 people were killed on the capital’s outskirts, during fighting between Houthis and Sunni Islamists backed by Yemeni troops. This took place as the U.N. envoy huddled with leaders in the rebel stronghold to try and end Yemen’s political crisis.

(With AFP)