SANAA

 A leading member of Shiite Houthi group was assassinated Tuesday by unknown gunmen in a drive-by shooting in the central Ibb province, a local security official has said.

Leading Houthi figure Mohamed al-Massawi was killed on Tuesday near his house by two militants boarding a motor bicycle in Ibb city," the official, requesting anonymity, told The Anadolu Agency.

He said that the militants had fled the scene following the shooting.

The pro-Houthi Al-Massira satellite channel has confirmed the assassination of al-Massawi, who had been the legal director of the province's auditing authority.

The Houthis emerged as a formidable political and military force in Yemen when they assumed control of capital Sanaa in September of 2014 before moving on to establish control over other parts of the country.

Yemen has remained in the throes of turmoil since President Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down in 2012 under pressure from a months-long popular uprising against his 33-year rule.