On Wednesday, protestors took to the streets of two cities in Yemen to protest against Houthi rule.
In the capital city of Sana’a, hundreds turned out and were under the watchful eye of Houthis who carried automatic rifles and "shot in the air and thrust daggers at the crowds," Reuters reports. Tens of thousands of protestors marched in the central city of Taiz, which has not been taken over by the militant group. There, the crowd carried banners and shouted anti-Houthi chants.
Also on Wednesday, the U.S. ambassador and diplomatic staff left their embassy amid security concerns, and France and Britain announced they would be closing their embassies as well. Abdel Malik al-Ijri, a member of the Houthi political bureau, said on Facebook that this was a mistake and "not justified at all," Reuters says. "Governments of brotherly and friendly countries in the near future will realize that it is in their interest to deal with the will of our people with due respect," he wrote.
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