Huge al-Qaeda car bomb rocks Houthi supporters in Yemen

A huge car bomb targeting a house sheltering Houthi rebels in Yemen’s western province of al-Bayda has left dozens dead and missing on Monday morning.

20 Houthi supporters were killed in the attack and subsequent clashes, which took place in the town of Rada in the west of the province.

Al-Qaeda operatives who have launched several previous attacks on the northern rebels, also captured 12 Houthis alive and their whereabouts are now unknown.

Al-Qaeda in Yemen, also known as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, have been confined to a small area of the country, including al-Bayda province, since a large-scale bombing campaign launched by the government in May with the aim of rooting out the group.

However, in the past week the Houthi rebels who have spread further southwards since seizing control of the capital Sana’a on 21 September, have begun to gain ground in al-Bayda.

After Monday morning’s attack, Mohammed al-Basha, Yemen’s official spokesperson in Washington, reported that fierce clashes were continuing further east in Wuld Rabie, also in al-Bayda province.

Gains in Ibb province and Sana'a

The seeming setback in al-Bayda province comes after Houthis continued their advance in Ibb province, south-west of al-Bayda.

The rebels, who initially moved from their stronghold in northern Yemen to the capital in protest at the cutting of fuel subsidies, gained control of the city of Yarim in the far north of the province on Sunday.

The group had in principle signed a deal with tribesmen in Ibb on Saturday, agreeing to a 24-hour ceasefire and a Houthi withdrawal from the province.

However, al-Jazeera reported that despite the agreement, the Houthis were able to seize control of Yarim on Sunday with little or no resistance from the army there.

The rebels have now reportedly set up checkpoints in the city’s streets, and attacked the house of prominent sheikh Ali Badir, a figurehead for the town’s Sunni tribesmen who have previously clashed with the Houthis.

In two cities already under Houthi control, Ta’iz and Hodeida, hundreds took to the streets on Sunday to protest against rebel control.

Yemeni demonstrate against Houthi rule in Ta'iz (Photo credit: Twitter / @24Yemen)

The Houthi advance southwards through many of Yemen’s central provinces comes after their success in gaining control over the country’s capital last month.

The rebels continued to strengthen their position in Sana’a over the weekend, after the resignation of the city’s governor in protest at the deteriorating conditions in the city.

Abdel Ghani Jamil resigned his position as the city’s governor on Saturday, saying he could no longer be held responsible for the situation in Sana’a after the takeover by actors “promoting their own interests.”

Sunday saw the rebels attack the headquarters of Safir, Yemen’s largest oil company, halting work there.

A source from within the company told al-Jazeera that the rebels had stormed the offices of the company’s director, demanding that he order a halt to the export of oil until a new government is formed.