Clashes in Yemen escalate as rebel alliance unravels

Clashes in Yemen’s capital are escalating as Shia rebels known as Houthis face off with fighters loyal to the country’s former president in the fifth straight day of street fighting.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s internationally recognized President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who is in Saudi Arabia in self-imposed exile, appeared to extend an offer of reconciliation to his predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

As clashes continued in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, Saleh’s supporters tore down posters of the Houthis’ leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, on Sunday. There was no word on casualties on either side.

In a statement from Riydah, Mr. Hadi said his side, backed by a Saudi-led coalition waging war on the rebels, will support “any party confronting Houthi terrorist gangs.”