the houthis go on and control more territory. i'll give you an example. on the day that sanaa fell the houthis were engaged in a dialogue for several forces. forces outside the building. they were controlling more - the rest of the capital of sanaa. they signed a peace and partnership agreement. that deal was to give the houthis more say in the government and more representation in the government, and they formed a new prime minister. they have a number of ministerial posts and so on. yet they went on to control more territory. i think there's a lack of trust for the houthis, and the end game was not reaching a deal with the other political parties to go on and control the rest of yemen. >> the houthis also rejected peace talks that were supposed to be sponsored by doha held in doha. they said they do not trust the fact that president abd-rabbu mansour hadi is being backed by his allies and they are hosting these peace negotiations. you can understand that it's not a mutual ground in which to hold peace negotiations. >> that is t

houthi headquarters, houthi council offices gathering points, anything that's denoted houthi forces even the missile brigade in sanaa is attacked. this is a full scale war in sanaa starting one hour ago. and by morning we will know the damages. we cannot see the damages we cannot leave our house because of fight fall, by early morning sa that will b be different than it was an hour ago. >> are the air strikes continuing as we speak? >> they are nonstop every second and you hear by the second a different location around sanaa. so that's why i said it earlier that the sanaa of the morning will be different than sanaa of last night completely different. all these air strikes for sure will have had results especially since now we have confirmed from the airport that they targeted the yemeni military airport directly, trying to handicap the airport. and have succeeded according to one official we talked to. >> hakem, you say three have been targeting the military airport. what about the main civilian airport? >> they are targeting the civilian airport only in areas where the military airports

the houthis say there have been civilian casualties but despite the on slot the houthis remain defiant translator: what do they expect us to do in surrender? announce our defeat? to about like cowards? what do they expect from us? collapse overnight? to walk away? absolutely not. >>> the interim foreign minister says there is still room for dialogue. >> we're about to prepare for the upcoming conference. the door is still open for dialogue, and what is happening now is preparation for a dialogue of equals when no party can deal with the other from a standpoint of force. >> reporter: yemen has been unstable for years a situation that got worse last september when shia houthi rebels took over the capitol and forced the president to flee a few months later. the president is now in saudi arabia. he is recognized by the saudi-lead coalition, and the u.s. as the legitimate leader. the alliance has been endorsed by arab league nations who are proposing a unified military force to face growing threats. it is being seen as a message against iran's increasing influence in the region. mohamed val

we don't want houthis to expand.e are sunnis and houthis are killing sunnis. >> few people here need convincing of jordan's military role unlike the role in the international coalition against the islamic state of iraq in. the levant. it wasn't until they burned a pilot alive they asked for them to be wiped out. >> they feel it could happen to any arab country. most jordanians were not surprised to hear about their country's decision to join the anti-houthi alliance. many believe jordan's security is inseparable from that of 10ud e arabia did's. what some don't understand is their government's recent attempt to improve relations with iran. >> earlier this month, jordan's foreign minister visited the visit was the first in eight years. jordanian jets some described that as the contradictory foreign policy. >> maybe jordan wanted to be early in mending the relationship with iran and which they -- jordan thinks it would allow it to play a greater role in the region. >> some analysts argue that jordan is part of the arab

houthi targets houthi headquarters the council offices, the gathering points, anything that had a houthi forces, even the missile by grade in sanaa would also attack. so this is a full-scale war right now in sanaa starting one hour ago and by morning we'll know the damages, we cannot see the damages, we cannot leave our houses because of the nightfall. by early morning think sanaa will be different than it was an hour ago. >> are the air strikes continuing as we speak? >> they are nonstop every second. you hear by the second a different location around sanaa of so that's why i said earlier that the sanaa of the morning will be different than the sanaa of last night. completely different. and all these air strikes for sure will have had a result especially since now we have to come from the airport that they targeted the yemeni military airport directly, trying to handicap the airport and have succeeded ahead cord to go unofficial we have talked. >> you said they have been targeting the military airport. what about the main civilian airport? >> they are targeting the civilian airport only

on the other hand the houthis wanted some sort of presidential counsel where the houthis play a major role. the differences between them we are seeing emerge because of these points. >> thank you omar al saleh, speaking to us on the impact of the houthi rebels on yemen. if you joined us on al jazeera, we have rolling coverage on the recent air strike led by saudi arabia on sanaa. the capital of yemen, against houthi rebels. earlier hack im al-masmari spoke to us via skype. >> everywhere woke up. and the attacks happened quickly. the targets have been the headquarters, council offices, gathering points anything that belonged to the houthi forces even the missile brigade. this is a full-scale war in sanaa, starting an hour ago, and by morning we will know the damages. we can't leave the house. by early morning it will be different. different to what it was an hour ago. >> are the air strikes continuing as we speak. >> they are nonstop every second. you hear by the second a different location around sanaa. that's where i did it earlier, that the sanaa of the morning will be different to

they are training the houthi there is. our operations covers all yemeni republic and its air sprays. the air space of yemen is under control of the coalition. we have it all under control and if there's an area that exists outside the yemeni territories, they are going to be outside operations. this will have influence, will it influence the situation if there are -- in the battle outside the battle. >>> all right. so just to recap. we've been listening to a spokesman for the saudi-led coalition that's been conducting air strikes in yemen for six days now. we know that they have been conducting strikes pretty much across the country including in the north. that was mentioned just now. the military action is continuing with intensity in northern yemen and he specifically mentioned the houthi strong hold in the north. we know that saudi forces and yemeni houthi fighters have exchanged artillery and rocket fire at aborders. that took place on tuesday in really some of the worst clashes we've seen along the border with yemen a

, yemen, controlled by the houthis. the houthis control the border in sarda and other provinces. they are seeing tight security presence by saudi arabia and the houthis - those we talk to there has been aircraft military aircraft on the saudi side flying above the border to see in case houthis are infiltrating into the territory. >> what is the message that the saudis are sending to the houthis. it sounds like a serious collection of military armaments there massing on the border. saudis are doing - it's precautionary measures. again, remember the - it's 2009 saudi interference in yemen, the war with the houthis, the houthis were - within hours they reached 50km into saudi arabia. they looted the entire military compound and left back to the borders. the houthis have good experience, and are confident, and honestly they want saudi arabia to intervene because it gives them a chance an obstacle to enter the saudi territory. this is what iran wants. >> the situation is clearly fluid in yemen at the moment. thank you very m

the latest on the houthi advance. >> reporter: it shocked many people that houthis have advanced this far south. ta'izz yemen's third largest city, especially the locals. every day this week, they've taken a stand chanting for the rebels to leave. >> translator: we swear that we'll drive out all houthis from ta'izz and teach them a lesson they'll never forget. >> reporter: houthi fighters applied with gun fire and tear gas. many were killed, many more injured. many of the shooters wore police uniforms. other reports say the internal security officers themselves, the ones meant to be keeping the peace, have joined the houthis. these forces are said to be loyal to yemen's long time ruler ali abdalla saleh out saleh ousted in the uprising and appear to be backing the houthis, people are no longer sure who they can trust. the houthi group has morphed from a small military unit into a larger force. in september it took over the capital sanaa. president abd rabbu mansour hadi escaped to the south. and it's in the south that most of the fighting is taking place right now. this is the kmer ar

of the houthis. the only problem here is that i don't believe that all peaceful means of negotiation have been exhausted. i think this was rushed into. >> well, ultimately, this consensus agreement, some sort of agreement anyway, is in all parties' interest, isn't it? because there isn't any one group that can control all of the country. >> yes. and it was finally looking like the houthis were going to be the group that are going to control the country. i've talked about this before. we've had two powers just recently that of president hadi in the south and former president saleh in the north. formerrer president saleh's forces were to be the winners and that probably angered the gcc countries. and thus the air strike. it seems that beyond the iranian and saudi narrative, there is personal animosity that is going on that is forcing the saudis to take the action. the president who used to be a u.s. and saudi arabian ally for 30 years is no longer their friend as he has allied himself with the houthi m

and the houthis wanted to take revenge against those who led the wars against the houthis and fought under saleh. the end game is to create kay chaos, to have the houthis involving and grow their military and political power. saleh's aim was to create havocker chaos in order to have the government toppled and then perhaps holding elections in which he thinks his son who used to head the republican guards probably would win. so i think that's the end game for saleh and the houthis. however, we saw some differences between them. because when they surrounded the presidential palace in january saleh wanted to have the resignation of the president hadi to go through parliament. because the parliament was under his grip. the houthis wanted to establish a presidential council to rule yemen. so this is the differences that happen between the two. and everybody was thinking when the clash between saleh and the houthis would stop. >> all right. now, we have been talking about the i internal strive in yemen and we have seen the houthis reject peace negotiations. saying that this is a yemen prob

the houthi continue to advance in the south. they're making preparations to counter the air strikes. air superiority for the coalition forces may not be enough to bring -- to hurt the houthi enough to bring them to the negotiating table. they were born out of an insurgency. they were born out of you know facing an unequal battle and they are better armed now than they were before. i'm not sure they're ready to negotiate yet. >> saudi arabia and the allies say they are acting to reinstate yemen's legitimate leader and their ally, president hadi. do the yemenis welcome this operation by their neighbor? >> that's a good question. there are certainly those who support the operation in ta'izz and aden in the south to support the air strikes in mareb they also support the air strikes but there are a lot of people who are against the houthi but also don't welcome the air strikes. the yemeni traditionally have been subject to a lot of foreign intervention in their country and they prefer not to have foreign intervention. so the fact tha

iran that supported the houthis called for the houthis to end the strike. let's bring in the editing chief of the "yemen post," hakim al-masmari. we've been looking at the photos of the aftermath of the strikes. what is the latest what is happening on the ground. >> right now sanaa is normal again. the strikes are where the houthis could launch attacks against saudi arabia. so in the heart of the city it's as. if nothing happened. if it goes towards the airport area, that's where the damages are. the entire airport runway has been damaged. military planes have been damaged and the air base in the south has been damaged by the air strikes. saudi arabia tried to handicap the abilities to attack and counter attack the air strike. we expect the houthis to launch their on-ground forces within 48 hours. >>> yes, because they have said they'll stand their ground. how do yemenis feel about the attack happening in their capital in the heart of the city? >> very scared very worried that this could be the next syria, where a proxy war is fought between saudi arabia an

many houthi fighters have been killed. the houthis are trying to move through this area to the oil-rich province of marib. but they're not the only ones determined to stop their advance. this attack is by the saudi-led coalition targeting positions around marib. airstrikes have already hit houthi fighters. dozens of houthi fighters have been killed and jets have bombed positions in the northern province of saada considered the houthi's main support base. the saudis have deployed thousands of soldiers along the border they share with yemen. but saudi officials continue to say that there is no plan to send troops, at least for now. >> we will attack for the militias, but there is no major land operation. >> the saudi-led airstrikes seam to be weakening houthi fighters who started to retreat from areas in the south. tribesmen are on the move to recapture areas they lost in the last few weeks. >> i believe if this military operation had not happened on time the price would have been higher. it came at a suitable and critical t

battles in aiden between the houthis and pro-government forces. saudi arabia says it's now complete a blockade of yemen's ports and kim has more. >> reporter: these are the victims of what appears to be the deadliest saudi-led air strikes so far. this was a camp in yemen's north, for those fleeing the violence that gripped yemen for a decade and houthis say women and children are among the dead but witnesses say many of those killed were fighters and saudi arabia is adamant the houthis are to blame. >> houthis moved their weapons and fighters where we have civilians and we do our best to prevent civilian casualties and reply to a source of fire we have no confirmation this was a refugee camp. >> reporter: saudi-led air strikes hit nine of yemen prove province provinces including the capitol sanaa and restrict the target and military base and weapons storage facility that belongs to the yemen republican guard. the focus is not just on houthi strongholds but also on protecting the port city of aiden. it's the main base of president haidi supporters

saleh is accused of striking an alliance with the houthis. the the outcome could change yemen's political landscape and tip the balance of powers. >>> al qaeda-linked fighters in syria captured the northern city of idlib in a blow to government forces. the strategic transport hub is the second provincial center to fall to rebels since the war began. stefanie dekker reports. >> reporter: the syrian army is gone and opposition fighters are in control. after days of fighting rebels are in charge. the fight was undertaken by a newly formed coalition led by al nusra front and al qaeda affiliate and includes other groups. al jazeera spoke to a fighter in the city. >> translation: it is the reason for the advance. we got rid of the groups. they are all fighting under the one name. >> reporter: celebrating in front of the governor's building. this one shows fighters returning home reunited with families after what they say is years on the battlefield. close to a million lived in idlib, including many forced to leave their homes. we are told thousands

and houthis to the south. how long are they able to carry out these conflicts on all front in. >> i think they don't have the stamina. given the fact why people are surprised that the saudi government is which is traditional by have been keeping things very quiet and very reserved, you have right now a new government in saudi arabia, you spoke of king salmon. he does not run the show. he's too old to do it. it's his son his 28-year-old son, who is now the minister of defense. no experience in military strategy, no experience with the military whatsoever. and his nephew who is really running the show, american ally, supported, close ally of the cia and the obama administration, so they have -- they are taking this huge risk in fighting and bombing yemen because they don't think yemen can fight back. i think they are -- they are mistake en. a rich country invading a poor country. will always end up losing because the poorer fighter is stronger much more dedicated than a rich fighter especially if that poor fight

the houthis are opposed by armed group's including al-qaeda and the houthis appear to be club readyingith some yemenese security forces still loyal to the former president al saleh. >> the houthis for their current reach depend very much on the support of the military, which means that they're depending very much on this alliance of convenience with former president al saleh. it's not clear just how long this is going to continue. i suspect some of their aims are divergent at this point. >> the battle lines are anything but clear but there are strong sign that is yemen is descending into civil war with several competing states and armed groups involved in the crisis. >>ar are, leaders are meeting. egyptian foreign minister says his government fully supports the joint military strike against houthi forces in yemen. >> we are supporting the legitimacy of the yemeni state so that it can carry out its national responsibility to keep the integrity of yemen territory and the interests of the yemeni people. yemen is witnessing disturbances that brothers in the gulf with the support of yemeni

as we talk houthis have hundreds of fighters in aden according to a senior houthi commander that i spoke to an hour ago. there's no need for the houthis to enter aden they are there. as soon as they know the location of abd-rabbu mansour hadi, if they do not surrender, they'll use air strikes against him. they expect him to surrender or leave the country. surrender line the defence minister did two minutes ago, or leave the country. >> what do we expect abd-rabbu mansour hadi to do next. he has called for what he is saying "willing countries" to intervene militarily. how likely is that to happen now that the airbase has been taken. according to what you say some of his ministers have been arrested and he is on the run, cording to your sources. >> the problem is that abd-rabbu mansour hadi's allies the couple countries of the u.s. and u.k. are slow in reacting. houthis's allies is decisive and quick. while hardy's allies are talking, houthis are spading up the process. that is why we reach the result. i do think it will most likely be in a gulf country where doha is in the other, but abd-

do you think they can achieve their objective of defeating the houthis?ll certainly the primary on yektive for the time being, which is destroying their air defenses and military bases and some of their concentration of troops have succeeded simply because saudi arabia and its allies have air superiority. and so that's superiority was able to put a certain end, if you will to the advance of the houthis and their total control of the southern city of aden because if they did, then the entire country would have probably fallen in their hands, and that would have left the saudis with zero influence and with the iranians with 100% influence. so for the time being what the saudis have succeeded to do is to turn things around. in this favor of iran and in favor of saudi arabia their allies and what they call the legitimate government, which it is the legitimate government in yemen, which is -- you know, the president hadi and his -- his government. so in a way, you know, things have gone according to plan but of course, lot to be expected now whether the houthi

and so there was a vacuum into which the houthis were able to roll. >> the houthis basically evicted the president from office. dissolved the parliament and then left no operating government in its place. who is running yemen. >> well right now, probably nobody. i think it's important to step back one. that's just from the january with abd-rabbu mansour hadi going under house arrest and into aiden. in september, when the houthis came into sanaa. they were welcome by most peep. they were seen as a stabilizing force, nonideological. they were not i.s.i.s. and the government abd-rabbu mansour hadi's government signed a partnership plan with them. there was a new technocratic cabinet that came in that most thought was an improvement. power-sharing, and it looked like it was about to work. and then the houthis probably overreached, i think is probably what happened. and we went from a september, october, november where a lot of us thought this might in its own way work to all of a sudden house arrests, and abd-rabbu mansour hadi leaving, and as you say, the houthis are running sanaa, but

saudi describes houthi command centers like this one. coalition forces control the skies, naval forces moving to block yemen's ports in a bid to stop rebel fighters from rearming. tehran denies it is backing the houthis but yemen is continuing to make accusations. >> there are a number of iranian revolutionary guards that were operating before on the ground. they recently started operating more in the open. there are many advisors supported by iran, mercenaries some from lebanon syria and other places all operating under the guidance of iran. >> the coalition says its military campaign will continue until houthi fighters and soldiers loyal to deposed president ali abdullah saleh join talks to oh find political situation. >> just a moment ago or couple of minutes ago i spoke to pablo marco with doctor without borders. the air strike he confirmed at a camp so lets just listen to what he said and then we'll talk about it. >> we don't have any sufficient staff but we have what the victims have told us and authorities in the different camps a

and the houthies say civilians were killed. it is necessary for all action to end as soon as possible and for dialog to resume toward reaching a solution. we believe that these military actions can only plunge the region further into turmoil and will have no benefit for countries that enter into such actions they have held their president under house arrest until the southern city last month. >> earlier this week, the houthies began to march towards adan in an attempt to remove the president from his last strong hold. it is not clear yet how far the saudis and their allies are going to go there their campaign and whether the air strikes will be followed by a ground invasion. hakeem is the editor and chief of the yemen post, he joins us now live on theline. there have been further coalition air strikes on targets in yemen what more can you tell us about them. >> the attacks started earl yes today, yesterday they started at 2:00 a.m. in the morning. the reason why these attacks are happening at night is because yemen did not have

they have only targeted houthi militias, the houthis called for people to join protests against the military action. >> hakim al-masmari is the editor-in-chief of the "yemen post," and joins us from sanaa. a frightening couple of hours. >> very worrying. the death toll is clear. the houthis announce that 19 were killed, mostly civilian including a family of five, more than 35 injured, and many others under the rubble. unknown if they are dead or alive. the air strike targeted one air base the air runways that the houthis would use to launch air strikes against saudi arabia. the air force here has been destroyed, and the targets were military aircraft. in deals with military power, the houthis would be targeted by saudi arabia. but according to the officials these targets were not well designed and many of them missed the targets. >> i'll leave it there. the sound quality is not great. thank you for the update from sanaa >>> a columnist for the saudi gazette joins us from jeddah welcome to al jazeera. 2k3w50d good to have you on the programme. what's the result when the country woke up to fin

we don't want houthis to expand. we are sunnis and houthis are killing sunnis. >> people need convincing here. it wasn't until isil burned a jordanian air force pilot alive that people here started to call for isil to be wiped out. many jordanians feel if yemen falls into the hands of iran, it could happen to any arab country. >> most jordanians were not strides to hear about their countries decision to join the anti houthi alliance. many believe jordan's security is inseparable of that of saudi arabias, but what some don't understand is their government's recent attempts to improve relations with iran. >> earlier this month jordan's foreign minister visited tehran and met president rouhani. the visit was the first in eight years. three weeks later jordanian jets bombed houthi targets in yemen. some strike that as jordan's contradictory foreign policy. >> it is a vision that iran will eventually play a serious role in running the affairs of the region and maybe jordan wanted to be early in mending their relationship

>> yeah, let's remember, the houthis, the language of americanty and majority he, in yemeni context houthis were living in sanna. they have the support of al saleh. they were able to have a good relation with iran because of al saleh. they work on that basically for 10 years. houthis in yemen they, you know, they will there will be an effort to get them onboard in any political process in the future. they will not be out of the game. of course, you know, the taste of defeat will be seen because basically now all yemen has seen houthis as being anti, you know, you know, anti the unity of yemen, anti the -- anti the i would say the identity of yemen and they see them as being,on, since september 2014 when they started the preparation of controlling sanna. there is as real desire in yemen and we saw that, the yemenese sincere in having a government state, because they had worked on this for years now and what happened after the revolution 2011 that houthis benefited on that moment, and they try to redirect the effort to the yemenese toward something serving their own interest. at that moment,

and the houthies say civilians were killed.is negligence for all mill fair action to end as long as possible. towards reaching a solution. >> until they fled to the southern city last month. earlier this week, the houthies began to march in an attempt to remove president hadi from his last strong hold. it is not clear yet how far the saudis and their allies are going to go in their campaign, and whether the air strikes will be followed by a grand invasion. al jazeera. >> saudi arabia's ambassador to the u.s. say as coalition of more than ten countries is part of the campaign that both countries weren't named. the military action was announce bed ajoint statement joined by saudi arabia, kuwait, and qatar joined in egypt, they say their planes have been involved with the strikes, while saddam say it's forces will take part. and turkey says it might provide logistical support. retired from jordanian general he says air strikes strikes will just be the beginning of a much wider campaign. >> this campaign, it will -- it may build fo

and to do a counter revolution. >> where then does that leave them if the houthies -- with the houthiesand this military intervention? and if they can't where does that leave them? where does that leave -- >> look. at this point no one -- everyone wanted a peaceful outcome. now as a military intervention. military doesn't basically solve anything. but i think in army thes of the attacks since last night the strikes and being the strike and a strike in military bases so i think the coalition is going to destroy all the military capabilities of houthies and now we have to go back to the negotiation table. i think that's going to be very hard at this point -- >> well, the whole thing be at the negotiation table will the houthies president a negotiating table if the capabilities are destroyed. >> i think the right thing to do at this point, and it is a lesson for the international community, is to bring these individuals who committed crimes against the yemen people to justice. the right place for the houthis is the international criminal court. i think that the security council need to act

the houthi main support base. the sers along the border they he share with yemen but saudi officials say there is no plan to send troops at least for now. >> we are using it to attack some force but there is no major land operation. >> the saudi-led airstrikes seem to be weakening houthi fighters who have started to retreat from areas in the south according to local sources. sunni tribesman are on the move to recapture areas they lost in the last few weeks. >> i believe if this military operation had not happened on time, the price would have been higher. it came as a critical and suitable time through expert military men. >> the arab league summit has been dominated by yemen's deteriorating security situation. the sawed say the airstrikes will continue until the deposed presidential saleh abandon their positions. they insist that adou rabbo mansour hadi is yemen's leader. >> you reported extensively from yemen. first give us an update what you're hearing on the situation on the ground, in particular the southern

a saudi led coalition has been bombing houthi positions. backed by forces loyal to ousted president ali abdullah saleh. southern city of aden attack was repelled. tribesmen around the town of bahar in the central province of shabwa. houthi weapons stores and air deferences were targeted, al jazeera's hashem ahelbarra filed this report. >> these are the victims of a camp dozens were killed or injured. highest death toll since the start of the military intervention in yemen. the houthis say the victims were civilians who were forced out of their villages in the past and sought ref umg in refuge in this camp in yemen. say the houthis or the blame. >> we stress we do our best to prevent civilian casualties. we reply to a source of fire, we have no confirmation, this was a refusingrefugee camp. >> targeted houthi fighters, the aim is to prevent them from advancing to the sea port city of aden. ammunition depots, antiaircraft batteries were also hit as was this command center run by the houthis. houthi supporters took to the streets of the capita

they began bombing houthi targets in yemen tonight.he rebel group mount aid major a being it on the southern port city of aden today. targeting the country's president. there are reports that he has fled from yemen his government denies that. >>> i am antonio mora, thanks for joining us. for the latest on the offensive in yemen we are now going to join the coverage of our sister network al jazerra english which is already in progress. have a good night >>> that might prove to be wrong in the end, i don't think we'll see that now. however, as the situation on the ground has deteriorated as the hadi government has been forced to flee, put in a position where it really cannot mount any kind of a counter attack against its antagonists either those lawyer to former president or the houthis. the saudis felt that needed to take some sort of action apparently in order to get the attention of houthis and try to drive some sort of negotiation. >> they certainly have gotten the attention. we know now that at least three houthi commanders have bee

naval battles and fierce battles between tribes men and houthis. now the people who have fled the violence have become victims. kim vanel has the story. >> reporter: this was a camp in the north for those fleeing the violence which has gripped yemen for more than a decade. houthis say women and children are among the dead but many that were killed are fighters. many are adamant that the houthis are to blame. >> we stress we do our best to prevent civilian casualties. we reply to a source of fire, we have no confirmation, this was a refugee camp. >> reporter: saudi led air strikes have hit at least 9 of yemen's provinces. target military base and weapons storage facility. which belongs to the yemeni republican guard. the focus isn't just an houthi strongholds but also on protecting the port city of aden. it's the main base for president a abd rabbu mansour hadi, and houthi forces like this one. while coalition forces control the skies naval forces control the ports in an effort to keep houthis from rearming. iran denies it is backing the houthis but

there have been protests against the houthis in recent days, including in taiz city, the houthis called for people to join in mass protests against the airstrikes. >> one of the pilots of the crashed germanwings jet was reportedly locked out of the cock pit before the plane went down. the plane was flying from barcelona to dÜsseldorf when it crashed into the french alps. investigators are combing the mountainside for the remains of the passengers and crew who died. there is a staging post for crash recovery crews before i ask you you about the recovery process, charlie, what are you hearing about the fact that one of the pilots was outside of the cockpit when the plane went down? >> well, this has been a leak from a senior military official, supposedly close to the investigation and it came via "the new york times." he's referring to an audio file recovered from one of the black box recorders that contained the voice recorders from the cockpit. that's being analyzed in paris. in the leak, he said he heard what was recorded in the cockpit, conversation very normal very calm between the t

so the air base in the hands of the houthis right now. how close are they, then, to securing control of aiden? >> i think they're going to have a fight on their hands for aiden. hadi has managed to pull together a lot of popular committees, and also there are people within the south, within aden who would be fighting purely because they see the houthis as a cover for ali abdullah saleh. so their loyalty would be to themselves in fighting that battle but there are been people who have heard fighting on the edge of thecy of the edge ofcity it seems imminent that that battle is going to take place. >> thank you. >> the leaders of france, germany, and spain are speaking in france after visiting the french alps close to where a passenger plane crashed on tuesday. all 150 people on board were killed. these are the latest developments. the recorder from the airbus has been recovered. the box is now in paris. investigators say they managed to recover all useable data from the box but the investigators warn it's still too early to draw conclusions

that's why he is using the houthis or using the houthis and the meanwhile houthiss are using his hugeport military support logistic support, and even his so credit. the yemen national security department, are using all of this information, about the officers and the high erans in the army, in the police so now they are having a very good like information about each one, he is playing the major role in this conflict. >> so the houthis even though they are a minority, they are a major fighting force they only make off third of the population, but because of the support that they get, from the former president and his allied militias and the very security departments they could with stand this let intervention. >> can you still hear me? >> repeat the question. >> yeah, sorry. for a service long question, can the houthis given all you were telling me and portions loyal to him can they houthis with stand this let intervention. >> well, i think with his support. they went in part -- they are now with the adan, but i think from what i heard today, there are -- contradicting statements he is

and the houthis did not adhere to that agreement. from hadi's point of view and the leader of the houthis the speeches they been making over the past few days have both been mentioning the dialogue, but really have been posturing for war and really looking like conflict is going to be inevitable on both sides. amy:i iona craig, thank you for being with us a journalist who , was based in sanaa, yemen for four years as the yemen correspondent for the times of london. she was awarded the martha gellhorn prize for journalism in 2014. when we come back, we will remember danny schechter, the news the sector. we will speak with anant singh who made the film, "the long walk to freedom" and danny schechter's longtime colleague and friend rory o'connor. we will be back in a minute. ♪ [music break] amy: "sun city," by artists united against apartheid, a group formed in 1985 by musician steven van zandt and record producer arthur baker to protest apartheid in south africa. danny schechter was heavily involved in the project. this is democracy no

it was an ammo dump used for the houthis. of course, you must all know as we mentioned earlier that the houthi militias are fortified inside houses, we're seeing in the past few days they are putting anti-aircraft batteries overbuildings and right in the middle of civilian populations so that it forces us to bomb these areas and result in collateral damage of innocent lives. the coalition forces we're seeking to minimize these targets so that it is clear that the houthi militias and the other loyalist groups are targeting other civilian areas and anyone who knows there is a difference between mortar round and a missile. of course, we're targeting weapons and ammo dumps started attacking the anti-aircraft batteries. as we see here one of the ammo dumps that has spread along the borders in yemen has been destroyed. this is multiple in the northern cities and south of yemen. it's motor pool intense which has been targeted directly. this is the motor pool. during this period we continue the mouth militias move mobilized its eleme

houthi fighters took over parts of sanaa. thousands have been contesting against the government angry over a decision to raise fuel prices. it escalated. abd-rabbu mansour hadi was put under house arrest and he accepted to aden in february and maintains he's the legitimate leader. he called on the u.s. to back an intervention. the united nations called for support for abd-rabbu mansour hadi. and for the u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon says they want all parties to respect yemen said sovereignty. >> we support the statement of 22nd march, while supporting the legitimacy of the president of yennen calls on all parties and member states to train taking actions under mining yemen >>> christopher swift is a professor of security studies and joins us from washington d.c. it's centring that you say this is not a proxy war; that in fact it's a local civil war. however, you can't get away from the fact that houthis are backed by shia iran. >> what is driving the conflict against the government-led by president abd-rabbu mansour had

if the houthis hold out. the next step is what do the - what do the saudis do do they increase the air campaign do they send in ground troops. do they want to fight an insurgency intercity war like we saw in tikrit. it's easier said than done. >> the current crisis can be seen in terms of competing interests, iran is said to be advancing proxies, and is said to provide weapons and logistical support to the group. it irked the saudi arabias, they supported different groups at different times, including former leader allie abdullah salah, and now president abd-rabbu mansour hadi. it's a battle for regional supremacy between saudi arabia and iran playing out. we spoke to a political analyst from sanaa. >> there is shelling. good morning, i can't differentiate between the late hours. i woke up to a huge explosion. i have never experienced anything like this not since 1994 when i was six years old. i today am a witness rather than a political analyst. what i can describe is the sounds - i don't know if you can hea

this as air strikes against houthi fighters continue across the country. coalition says it's trying to weaken the houthi's air defense system and to cut off supply lines. >>> german prosecutors say they have found doctor's notes excusing a pilot from work on the day he flew a passenger jet into a mountain. it added to suspicions that he was hiding a mental illness. >>> to libya where forces loyal to the two rival governments are battling each other for the control of the country. they do however, have a common enemy. fighters claiming allegiance to isil. zana hoda reports now on the brigades who have been sent from misrata to fight isil. [ sirens blaring ] >> reporter: the casualty toll is mounting and the wounded keep turning up. buy grades from the libya dawn coalition in misrata are at war with groups affiliated we the islamic state of iraq and the levant in the city of sirte. most of them are in their early 20s, and many fought in the 2011 revolution. but this time they say the battle is different. they say they are facing a well-trained enemy. >> tran

what about comments from houthi today?e is saying he wants to mobilize his forces but he is saying that he's targeting isil and specifically. how do you see that playing out? >> it's a declaration of war. maybe a little step, a few inches away from that declaration many view this where he is preparing to confront the president directly. >> being said, it's easy to synpathuse with thetre anger of the houthi group at this moment. the mosque bombings on friday were a tremendous crime. many are afrpingsz about how the houthis will move forward at this point, whether they will program engage in actions that may plunge yemen into civil war. >> thank you very much? >> thank you. >>. >> now the u.n.'s libya envoys insisting the talks in march okay 0 between the country's warring governments will continue despite fierce fighting killing a senior commander. he was a leader of the libya dawn militia which has controlled libya since august. joining us now. these negotiations being put to the test by developments on the ground how clos

houthies have ended the southern city. and they've launched a new offensive on the city of aden and there have been new battles in the central province. >> yemeni describes men and shia houthi rebels engage in fierce fighting around the town in eastern yemen. local sources say several houthi fighters have been killed. the houthies are trying to move through this area to the oil rich province, but local tribesmen are not the only ones determined to stop their advance. this attack is by the saudi-led coalition targeting houthi military positions. airstrikes have also hit houthi fighters. dozens of outy fighters have been killed, and jets have bombed positions in the northern province of saada considered the houthi's main support base. the saudis have deployed thousands of soldiers along the border they share with yemen but saudi officials continue to say there is no plan to send troops, at least for now. >> we have attacks of some concentration of force for the militias, but there is no major land operation. >> the saudi led

the houthi rebel unit has morphed from a small unity group to a large force. president abd rabbuh mansur hadi has escaped to the south and it's in the south that most of the fighting has taken place right now. the tribes hearsay they're protecting their region against the rebels. saudi arabia has sent soldiers to protect its border with yemen. the saudi foreign minister had this to say. >> we hope that this can be done. peacefully. if it is not done peacefully we would protect the region from their aggression. >> right now the houthies are fanning out across the country. they insist they're fighting for a fair distribution of wealth for everyone, not just shias. some people in the south don't believe them and aren't taking any chances. these volunteers are grouping in large numbers to take on the houthies with guns, tanks and ammunition. >> former adviser to the last three yemeni prime ministers, he joins me now. let's talk a little bit about this. they're moving heavy equipment to the borders there might be an intervention, how likely do you think this will b

the houthi problem goes back at least 10 years, before the iranians knew there were houthis, before they recognised the houthis, because for theo logical reasons it's different. the problems in the south go back a long title. they are problems of yemeni governs, questions of economic development, and are quintessentially a yemen problem. there are outside players, primarily saudi arabia and iran, who are turning this into something of a proxy war, and, of course, you have al qaeda and the arabian peninsula. what you have are three players, more, who are taking advantage of an inherently weak yemen and all the political vacuums to play out there own battles. yemen. >> when you talk about the united states having a role from outside as this continues to roll out. do you have to have somebody to talk to? if you are at the west asia desk in state, and you pick up a phone, do you have to know there's going to be someone at a phone on the other end whose word means something. >> it makes it much easier. and i think this is one of the problems. we don't know who we are talking do. we work with

planes bomb houthi targets in yemen for the second night and it was absolute defiance. ♪ hello from headquartersn doha and i'm jane and also ahead and hunting for a motive and searching the home of the copilot who deliberately crashed a germanwings plane. ten million children don't get to experience this in nigeria as the presidential election moves we will look at the issue of education. the latest batch of astronauts will blast off to the international space station and what does the future hold for them there. ♪ first to yemen where more saudi-led air strikes have targeted houthi positions in the country, the latest struck antiair defense system in north yemen, the leader of the houthi rebels accused saudi arabia and its allies of invading the country and joel has the latest. >> reporter: these pilots are part of the saudi-led coalition against the shia houthi rebels and military supporters in yemen. for the second night it hit military positions in the capitol sanaa and ty and sauda and there is no plan to send troops at least for now. >> we should be for all the circumstances. our forces is

earlier the houthis captured an air base. united states used that air base for fighting al-qaeda. now yemen's foreign minister has called for help from his neighbors. and the foreign minister says he will take necessary measures to protect yemen's sovereignty. back to the air base it is just 60 kilometers from aden. more on the situation on yemen now, we're joined by a political analyst joining us live from the capitol. what more can you tell us now? >> according to the information we have president hadi is not in the palace. and the houthi officials has announced that president hadi left the country. as of right now, it's conflicting reports between the houthis who are confirming that he has left the country, and by the foreign minister who is saying that he is currently still in aden. >> where is all of this information coming from about what is happening in aden? >> right now while the houthis are in control of the entire city. they took control of the central bank an hour ago. they are in control of the air base. they hav

. >>> houthi tv airs pictures showing the aftermath of saudi-led air strikes targeting houthi positions in yellen. ♪ ♪ >>> hello from al jazerra's headquarters if doha i am jane dutton. the houthis are calling for i a march against the saudi strikes we'll speak to houthi representative for their reaction. also ahead. >> i am in the oil rich namer delta. nigeria ens are voting in lex says soon, how has the fall on ale prices affected ordinary people. >>> is it time to end the centuries old tradition we report for the ferry islands where whale meat is still on the menu. ♪ ♪ >>> we begin with a developing story out of yemen where saudi-led co linc has launched air strikes against the houthi rebels. the saudi operation is backed by coalition of 10 countries including five gulf monarchies and the g.c.c. egypt, pakistan, sudan jordan and morocco. the military action is to support what the coalition calls the legitimate government of yemen led by president hadi. the u.s. says it is coordinating with saudi arabia providing intelligence and logistic the support. saudi arabia says it is completel

by support of the houthis in the south. air strikes are now hitting positions just on the other side of that border joined by artillery from the saudi saudi side. fighter jets struck multiple targets, including command and control centers and weapons depo. dep depots. at the start of the military campaign urged arab leaders to stop their strikes. >> continuing dialogue is the best option to solve the problem and not the military strikes. i hope arab leaders don't bet on a losing horse. you've tried that horse for four years. i call on you to take dialogue and have mercy on the people of yemen from these barbaric strikes. >> that could fall on deaf ears. saleh is accused of taking the part of the houthis the outcome could affect yemen's political landscape. omar al saleh al jazeera. >> saudi arabia already saying it's a success. what does that mean? >> well basically what the saudis are trying to do is target basically the fighter jets and destroy them. and long range rocket launchers. these are the biggest concerns for them