Police shot dead seven Shiite rebel activists attempting to storm government headquarters today and troops clashed with rebels on Sanaa's outskirts, amid warnings Yemen is at a "dangerous crossroads."
The violence comes after rebel chief Abdulmalik al-Huthi vowed to step up protests and with Saudi Arabia accusing rebels of "conspiring" to destabilise Yemen.
Activists have been camped out in the capital for weeks in a campaign to bring down the government and secure greater representation in state institutions.
Thousands of the Huthi rebel activists blocked main thoroughfares in central Sanaa today, with some of them marching on government headquarters, witnesses said.
They were met by anti-riot police who fired live rounds, tear gas and water cannon, "killing seven of them and wounding dozens," activist Khaled al-Madani told AFP.
In a statement on the official Saba news agency, an interior ministry official confirmed that police had stopped protesters, who "tried to storm... The premises of the council of ministers."
AFP could not independently verify the Huthi toll.
Later in the afternoon, troops prevented a Huthi vehicle loaded with arms from entering the capital, sparking a clash in Hiziaz, a southern entrance to Sanaa, a security official said.
An army officer was wounded, the official told AFP.
The protesters also tried unsuccessfully to enter state radio headquarters, the authorities said.
Saba quoted the high commission for security as saying, without giving details, that a number of guards were hit by gunfire from the attackers, and the health ministry said an ambulance driver was killed.
On Sunday, the rebels said two demonstrators were shot dead and around 40 wounded in clashes with police special forces near the interior ministry, where the rebels have been expanding their sit-in and blocking a main road leading to the airport.
Huthi protesters have forced shut the ministries of electricity and telecommunications and rebels yesterday prevented government vehicles from entering or leaving the capital.
Speaking late last night, the Huthi commander vowed "we will continue our escalation," while saying "negotiations will continue".
