Yemen struggles with street war; capital Sanaa shut down

Yemen Dec 03: Fresh clashes forced schools shut and shops shuttered in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Sunday, as residents warned a three-year rebel alliance was crumbling into a "street war".

Witnesses said forces loyal to powerful ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh had cut off a number of streets in central Sanaa and deployed heavily in anticipation of a possible attack by the Huthi rebels.

Loyalists of the former strongman renewed a bid to seize control of Al-Jarraf district, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Huthis, while the rebels fortified their positions with dozens of vehicles mounted with machine guns.

The education ministry cancelled classes Sunday, normally the start of the school week, out of concern for students and teachers.