Houthi fighters stormed Saleh-owned Al-Yemen Alyoum satellite TV station in southern Sanaa and took it over following deadly clashes late on Saturday, according to spokesmen from both sides.
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said on Twitter that all the guards and crew members of the channel were now under arrest.
Spokesman of Saleh’s Media Office Nabil al-Soufi confirmed that all crew members of the station were arrested by Houthis and the station is under the control of the Houthis.
A resident in Bait Baous district, where the station is located, said in a phone call with Xinhua that the clashes were eased in the area.
There was no report of casualties from either sides.
Houthis’ move came few hours after Saleh delivered a speech televised by Al-Yemen Alyoum, during which he called on the army, security forces and tribes to join his party’s “armed revolution to defend themselves, the country and the republic against Houthis.”
In his speech, Saleh also said he is ready to turn a new page if the Saudi-led military coalition agreed to his demands.
“I call upon our neighboring brothers in Saudi Arabia and the coalition’s states to stop their aggression, lift the blockade, open the airports and allow food aid in and we will turn a new page,” Saleh said.
Saleh also called for a direct peace talk between his party the General People’s Congress (GPC) and the leaders of the coalition.
The coalition later issued a statement carried by Saudi-run Al-Arabiya channel, welcoming Saleh’s new stance and said it was “confident of Saleh’s will and his GPC.”
In response to Saleh, Houthi chief Abdul-Malek al-Houthi made a speech in his Al-Masirah TV channel, accusing Saleh and his party of “betrayal” and pledged to “continue fighting against the aggression,” in reference to the Saudi-led coalition war.
Together, Houthis and Saleh’s loyalists have been aligned and fighting the coalition since both forces stormed the capital Sanaa in 2014 and forced Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile.
