Houthi rebels say US planes took part in bombardments

Demonstration in a southern Yemeni town. The  crowd is holding a poster with a picture of a protester who was killed in a previous demonstration.


Houthi rebels in the north of Yemen reported on Tuesday air strikes on several different areas of Sa’adah by American warplanes. The attacks lasted from Sunday evening until early Monday morning and killed 120 pople, according to the Houthi's.
The accusation came one day after the rebel forces accused Saudi Arabia of sending their own air force into Yemeni airspace, killing 70 people in an attack on a market in Razeh.
"The American warplanes completed over twenty-eight air raids on Razeh, Shada, Dhyah, and Ghamer, from Sunday evening until dawn. The aircraft were extremely advanced, carrying huge ordinances. They (the Americans) have been following our positions through the use of satellites,” a statement released by the Houthi' s said.
"In addition to the American attacks, more than 375 missiles have been launched from Saudi territories into al-Malahaid, al-Mamdood, al-Dukhan and al-Rumaih Mountains,” the statement emphasized.

General David Petraeus, who now heads the United States Central Command, gave an exclusive interview to Al Arabiya on Sunday where he discussed Washington's support of Yemen and Iraq and the country's relationship with Syria.

The general said the U.S. is providing security support to Yemen within the framework of military cooperation provided by Washington to its allies in the region. He emphasized that U.S. ships found in Yemeni waters are not only there for monitoring but for also for stopping the flow of arms to the Houthi rebels. He stopped short however of admitting that the US is actively heping the central Yemeni government.

 
Human Rights Watch condemned Yemeni security forces for abuses in the country's south, including the killing of at least 11 unarmed protestors during the past two years, in a report released on Tuesday.
Yemeni forces had "carried out widespread abuses in the south -- unlawful killings, arbitrary detentions, beatings, crackdowns on freedom of assembly and speech, arrests of journalists, and others," said the global rights group.
On six occasions in 2008 and 2009, "security forces opened fire on unarmed protesters, often without warning and aiming at them from short range. At least 11 people were killed and dozens were wounded," said the HRW report.