The field commander of the Houthi rebels, Abd al-Malik al-Houthi, was arrested yesterday by the military after being injured in an air strike, according to unconfirmed reports from several local news sources (Yemen Observer, News Yemenand
Yemen Online). 

At the time of writing, the Yemeni authorities are neither confirming nor denying the reports; the Houthis have issued a denial.

Two more rebels were sentenced to death by a Yemeni court on Saturday. Ten others have also received death sentences during the last few months.

They are among 190 defendants in a series of trials connected with fighting that occurred between March and June last year.
Yemeni warplanes bombed a hospital in Razeh yesterday, killing 27 people, the deputy interior minister said.

According to the military, the dead were rebels who had been shooting from inside the building. A rebel spokesman said “all those who were killed were innocent civilians”.

The hospital had been functioning at least until last Thursday when Medecins Sans Frontieres evacuated their staff.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 19 October 2009.