Thousands of people took to the streets of several Yemeni cities today to protest a Shiite rebel takeover of the government.
In the capital, Sanaa, rebel gunmen fired in the air to disperse the protesters, beating them back with sticks and clubs. Protest marches were also held in the cities of Hodeida, Taiz and Ibb.
Earlier, security officials said that a bomb exploded on a street leading to the presidential palace, wounding three people.
The rebels have taken over state institutions, dissolving parliament and installing a new committee to govern the region's poorest nation, home to what Washington considers al-Qaida's most dangerous offshoot.
While the rebels, known as Houthis, are bitter enemies to al-Qaida, they also are hostile to the United States, and frosty to Yemen's predominantly Sunni northern neighbor, Saudi Arabia. The region's Shiite powerhouse, Iran, looms as a potential key backer.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to release the information otherwise.
