At least 70 people were killed in fierce new battles this week between security forces and Shi'ite rebels in northwestern Yemen, bringing the toll to at least 170 killed since fighting broke out last month.
News reports say both sides suffered casualties. The fighting broke out after government efforts to start talks failed. Yemeni officials blame Badr el-Deen al-Hawthi for the new violence. He is the father of renegade cleric Hussein al-Hawthi, who was killed in September by government forces for starting a rebellion in the mountainous northwest.
Meanwhile, Britain has suspended all operations at its embassy in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, after receiving what it described as a credible security threat. The British Foreign Office says the threat may be aimed at Western interests.