Yemen's president calls on his people to mobilise against Iran-backed Houthis

The head of Yemen's governing body on Friday called for a general mobilisation to counter the Iran-backed Houthis, as the group ramps up attacks on government forces and their Saudi backer. His call comes weeks after Yemen's fragmented government was dealt a major blow by the Houthis, who seized control of the country's entire Red Sea coast and are still fighting its forces in Yemen and attacking Saudi ships and territory. "I call upon the sons of our great people to engage in general mobilisation and national mobilisation, to rally around their armed and security forces," Rashid al-Alimi, who heads the Presidential Leadership Council and is also Supreme Commander of the Yemeni Armed Forces, said in a speech. Read moreSaudi Arabia says air defences intercepted Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh Anyone defecting from the Houthis to the government side will be pardoned in an upcoming amnesty, he added. Alimi heads Yemen's Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council, whose forces are fighting the Houthis with air support from the kingdom. Over the week-end, the Houthis attacked Riyadh for the first time in years, marking a major escalation. Earlier on Friday, the military chie...