Yemen Huthi Rebels Say Saleh Supporters 'Safe'

Yemen's Huthi rebels rallied their supporters in the capital Tuesday, pledging that backers of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh were safe despite his death at the hands of the insurgents.

Saleh was killed on Monday while trying to flee his residence in the capital Sanaa. 

The Iran-backed Huthis were the first to announce his death, which came days after their leader threatened retribution after Saleh ended his fraught three-year alliance with the rebels and announced he was open to talks with a rival coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

Thousands of Yemenis gathered near Sanaa International Airport shouting "Sanaa is free and the state still stands!" and "Yemenis are one!", as rebel chiefs addressed the crowd, many of whom waved the national flag.

Mohammed Ali al-Huthi, who heads the rebels' revolutionary council, told the crowd the Huthis had been left with no choice but to "confront" their former ally but were now "ensuring the safety" of members of his General People's Congress party.

"They are being treated in hospitals and no one is looking to eliminate them," Huthi said.

Tuesday's rally struck a decidedly conciliatory tone after days of intense clashes between rebels and Saleh supporters left residents fearing their neighborhoods had become a new front in the Yemen war.

More than 8,750 people have been killed in the conflict since 2015, when Saudi Arabia and its allies joined the government's fight against the Huthi-Saleh camp. 

Long supported by Saudi Arabia, Saleh's ties to Riyadh soured after his ouster in 2012. 

The former president, who waged six wars against the northern Huthis, in 2014 joined ranks with them to drive the Saudi-backed government from Sanaa, setting up a parallel government that continues to rule the capital.