Rebel leader hurt, flees to another region in Saada

SANA'A, Dec.20 (Saba) - Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the rebel leader, has seriously been injured, but survived being killed and fled to another area inside the province, the state-run 26sept.net reported on
Sunday citing local sources in Haidan district. He was located in Matara district.

After
his injuries, al-Houhti appointed his brother in law Yousef al-Madani as new rebel
leader, the sources noted. They also affirmed that several rebel leaders and their
followers
were killed in Maran and Dhayan districts. The army has intensified attacks against
the insurgents and continued to cleanse many northern areas of them. Dozens of them
were
killed, wounded, arrested and surrendering in recent weeks including leaders. The
fresh confrontations, which started in mid August this year, come within a
six-year-long
war against the Houthi loyalists in Saada and Harf Sufyan district in neighboring
Amran province. FR