Yemen President Pledges to Fight Iran Influence

Yemen's embattled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi pledged Saturday to fight Iran's influence in his violence-wracked country, accusing the Shiite Huthi militia of importing Tehran's ideology.

Hadi lashed out at the Iran-backed militia a day after multiple suicide bombings at Huthi mosques claimed by the Sunni Islamic State jihadist group killed 142 and wounded 351 others.

The country is on the brink of a civil war with a deepening political impasse and an increasingly explicit territorial division along sectarian lines, amid rising violence pitting Shiite militia against Sunni tribes and Al-Qaeda militants. 

By claiming its first attack in Yemen, the jihadist IS group is seeking to exploit the chaos gripping the country where its rival Al-Qaeda traditionally has been the dominant militant organisation.  

The Huthis, who seized Sanaa in September, vowed to take further "revolutionary steps" following Friday's blasts.

In his first televised speech since he fled to Aden from house arrest in militia-held Sanaa, Hadi said he would ensure that "the Yemeni republic flag will fly on the Marran mountain in (the northern Huthi stronghold) Saada, instead of the Iranian flag."

"The Iranian Twelver (Shiism) pattern that has been agreed upon between the Huthis and those who support them will not be accepted by Yemenis, whether Zaidi (Shiites) or Shafite (Sunnis)," he said.

The Huthis, who belong to the Zaidi sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, are believed to have converted to Twelver Shiism which is followed by Iran and insist that Tehran does not meddle in Yemeni affairs.

In a letter to relatives of the victims of the mosque bombings, which also wounded 351 people, Hadi condemned the attacks as "terrorist, criminal and cowardly".

"Such heinous attacks could only be done by the enemies of life," who want to drag Yemen into "chaos, violence and internal fighting," he said.

"Shiite extremism, represented by the armed Huthi militia, and Sunni extremism, represented by Al-Qaeda, are two sides of the same coin, who do not wish good and stability for Yemen and its people."

- 'Tip of iceberg' - 

Hadi has declared Aden the temporary capital of Yemen.

Friday's bombings came a day after clashes between forces loyal to Hadi and those allied with the Huthis in the southern city.

There were signs that security forces allied with the Huthis and former president Ali Abdullah Saleh were planning to seize Taez -- a strategic city between the capital and Aden.  

Since taking over Sanaa the Huthis have tightened their grip on government institutions, aided by forces loyal to Saleh.

In their push to widen their control to the south, they have faced fierce resistance by Sunni tribes allied with Al-Qaeda militants who are active in the impoverished country.

Al-Qaeda swiftly distanced itself from the bombings, insisting it does not target mosques.

In an online statement claiming responsibility, the Sanaa branch of IS said the attacks were "just the tip of the iceberg".

-'War on the revolution' - 

Mohammed Abdulsalam, the spokesman of the Huthi's Ansarullah party, said the attacks were part of a "clear war against the Yemeni people and its popular revolution" -- in reference Sanaa's takeover.

He accused "Gulf-funded media" of providing political cover for Al-Qaeda militants in the provinces of Baida and Marib.

"It is now imperative that we complete the revolutionary steps to protect the people and their revolution," he said in a statement.

The Huthi threat came as reinforcements from the Special Forces, accused of links to the Huthis and Saleh, were sent to Taez, 260 kilometres (161 miles) south of Sanaa.   

Military sources said about 1,200 soldiers, backed by 22 armoured vehicles, had arrived in the base of the Special Forces in Taez.

Hundreds demonstrated Saturday outside the base, saying the Huthi fighters were among the troops and demanding their return to Sanaa.

Taez is only 180 kilometers (111 miles) north of Aden, and is seen as a strategic entry point to Hadi's refuge.

"The bombings in Sanaa will now be taken as an excuse to open new fronts by attacking Taez and Marib (in the east)," said Yemeni youth activist Bassem al-Hakimi.

The mosque blasts sparked an international outcry.

Saudi Arabia, a strong backer of Hadi, denounced the "terrorist attacks" and offered to transport victims to its hospitals for treatment. 

Iran, which is accused of backing the Huthis, "strongly condemned" the bombings.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius described the blasts as an "absolute catastrophe," adding that Yemen is "one of those countries where the crisis worsens by day".