Ali Abdullah Saleh, Former President of Yemen, Killed

Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president of Yemen, was shot dead on Monday after a 'change of position' in the country's civil war. Supporters and enemies say he had exited the alliance with the Houthi rebels and had shown a willingness to cooperate with the Saudi-led military coalition. According to Reuters, Houthi sources stated that their militants stopped Saleh's armored vehicle on the outskirts of Sana'a with an RPG and then shot him dead. Sources affiliated with the National Congress Party also said he was killed during an attack on a convoy that included his vehicle. Images of his bloodied corpse wrapped in a blanket have been released. After about three years of alliance with the Houthi Shiites in the war against forces loyal to the former Yemeni president and the Saudi-led military coalition, Saleh changed his position a few days ago. Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthi Shiites, congratulated the Yemeni people on Monday in a televised speech for the defeat of what he described as a 'treacherous conspiracy.' He did not mention Saleh's death but stated that this conspiracy was designed by the Arab enemies of the Gulf region. The 75-year-old Saleh said in a speech on Saturday that he was ready for a 'new chapter' of relations with the Saudi-led military coalition and referred to the Houthis as 'coup militants,' which led the Houthis to accuse him of treason. In recent days, Sana'a had been the scene of fierce battles between the Houthis and Saleh's military supporters. Eventually, the Houthis were able to take full control of the city and blew up Saleh's house on Monday. At the same time, coalition aircraft were bombing Houthi positions. Saleh's change of position seems to have a significant impact on the fate of the Yemen war, which had not changed much over the past two years despite heavy attacks from the Saudi-led military coalition, and could strengthen the positions of the Arab coalition. Reuters reminds that the stalemate and stagnation in Yemen's civil war have created catastrophic conditions for the people of this country. The people of Yemen are on the brink of famine, and deadly diseases are widespread in the country. Now all attention is drawn to Saleh's political allies and military commanders, who some experts believe played a significant role in the rapid and extensive advance of the Houthi rebels and the capture of large areas of Yemeni territory in 2014. Saleh had likened his 33-year rule over Yemen to 'dancing on the heads of snakes.' During his rule, there was unification of the conservative northern part with the Marxist part of Yemen, civil war, rebellion, and campaigns by radical Islamist forces. However, after the Arab Spring events, he was forced to step down in 2012, marking the beginning of a political power transfer plan initiated by Saudi Arabia. He fled to Saudi Arabia for treatment after being injured in the unrest, and the Saudi government allowed him to return to Yemen a few months later. After Saleh opposed the political power transfer plan and joined the Houthis, Saudi Arabia regretted its decision. This marked the last chapter of his role in Yemen's political developments, which involved an alliance with the Houthi Shiites and their supporter, the Iranian government. However, the Houthis and Saleh's forces always competed for control over their occupied areas. Ultimately, this competition led to armed clashes in Sana'a on November 29. On Monday, with the Houthi attack on his armored vehicle and Saleh's death, the political maneuvers of this veteran Yemeni leader came to an end. In addition to officials from Saleh's party, his nephew Yahya Muhammad Abdullah, who was formerly the commander of Yemen's security forces, confirmed his death and praised him as a 'martyr' on his official Facebook page.