LAHJ, 15 May -- Suspected separatist gunmen Saturday ambushed the convoy of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the southern district of Radfan in Lahj province killing at least two presidential guards and wounding five others, al-Jazeera TV channel said.  The President was not in the motorcade when it was ambushed and security sources said the “saboteurs are being chased,” amid reports a suspected attacker was also killed in the ambush.  Authorities closed the road and the President later arrived in Taiz to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the country’s unity.  The state official Saba news agency said “the President arrived in Taiz coming from Lahj, al-Dhala and the city of Qataba where he checked on the impacts of floods in the area.”

SANAA, 15 Nov -- The defense ministry website, 26-September Sunday said military units recaptured territory from the Zaydi Shiite rebels in Sadaa while warplanes struck rebels positions in Harf Sufian amid reports of troops reinforcement moving from Sanaa to combat zone in north Yemen.  Saudi TV reported that Saudi special forces units are continuing mop-up operations in the region of mount al-Dukhan along the border with Yemen, and added a number of Shiite rebels were captured. 

SANAA, 08 Nov – In a statement to the website of Yemen’s Islamist Congregation for Reform (Islah), the head of the opposition alliance, the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), Hassan Zaid Sunday said the regime in Yemen is planning to turn the country into “a Sultanate or a monarchy under the pretext of harmonizing the political system in Yemen with those in the Gulf countries.”  He said “the regime in Yemen considers state employees, public funds as its own and sees the citizens as its slaves created to serve it,” adding “the constitution is absent, and verdicts are imposed upon the judiciary by phone. 

UN Holmes touring al-Mazraq refugee camp in Hajja

SANAA, 09 Oct – UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator,  John Holmes Friday visited al-Mazrak camp in Hajja governorate where over 6,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are being sheltered, and a group

SANAA, 03 Oct -- US private intelligence company, Strategic Forecasting Inc, commonly known as Stratfor Friday quoted “close source to the Lebanese Hizbollah,” as saying “four mourning councils were held and two burials - one in the Bekaa Valley and one in southern Lebanon -  for fallen Hizbollah fighters in the past two weeks.”

MARIB, 03 Oct -- At least four people were killed and eight others injured in clashes Saturday morning between troops and al-Hatik tribesmen in Marib.  Local sources said “fighting erupted between soldiers from battallion-315 and armed tribesmen when the soldiers tried to remove a checkpoint set up by the tribesmen along Marib, Safer road.”  The dead included two soldiers and a lieutenant and one tribesman.  The Islamist online news website, Alsahwa said “the tribesmen attacked two military jeeps killing two soldiers and wounding many others,” adding “four tribesmen were injured in the conflict,” amid news tribal mediation is underway to secure a settlement.  In the past, al-Hatik tribesmen of the Abida tribal grouping in Marib have demanded the release of several clan members convicted on charges of shooting dead a number of soldiers in previous clashes.