SANAA

Militants from the Shiite Houthi movement on Sunday besieged the Yemeni Air Force headquarters in capital Sanaa and barred its commander Rashid al-Jund from entering the premises, a military source has said.

The source, speaking to The Anadolu Agency on the condition of anonymity, did not give a reason for the move, and Houthis have yet to issue a comment on the source's assertions.

But over the past few days Houthi militants seized control of several government and military sites in Sanaa amid an apparent push by the Shiite militants to consolidate their control over the country.

On Thursday, President Abd Rabbul Mansour Hadi tendered his resignation to parliament shortly after Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and his government quit to protest the Shiite militants' takeover of the sites, which included the presidential palace.

The Houthis seized control of Sanaa in September before moving on to establish control over other parts of the country as well.

The rise of the Houthis has pitted the Shiite group against local Sunni tribes and Al-Qaeda, the latter of which is said to remain active in Yemen.

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.