SANAA — Five roadside bombs targeting Houthi rebels exploded in the Yemeni capital Sanaa early on Monday, wounding several people, the Ministry of Defense website said. The Houthis' Ansarullah movement, which has links to Iran, has become the main political force in Yemen since it captured Sanaa in September and then pushed into the country's Sunni Muslim heartland south and west of the capital. The bombs targeted Houthi checkpoints and some houses, the ministry website quoted Sanaa's director of security as saying. Two other devices were dismantled, the ministry added. A medical source said eight people had been wounded and three of them were in a critical condition. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombs. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has claimed two previous attacks in Sanaa in the past two months, including a car bomb last week that killed three people at the Iranian ambassador's residence. Yemen has been in political turmoil since 2011. AQAP, formed in 2006, has for years been seen by Washington as one of the movement's most dangerous branches. Washington has used drones in Yemen to target the militants. — Reuters
