The leader of Yemen's Shia Houthi militant group has called on supporters to take to the streets in large numbers nationwide on Monday to demand the dismissal of Prime Minister Mohammed Basindawa's government.
In a televised speech carried by the group's Al-Massira channel, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi gave President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi until Friday to sack the government.
Otherwise, he warned without elaborating, "escalatory options" would be considered.
The Shia leader accused Basindawa's government of "incompetence" and making "false" promises, urging members of the army and security forces to join the planned protests and not become "a tool in the hand of a tyrant."
The government, for its part, has yet to comment on al-Houthi's comments.
The invitation to demonstrate comes amid fierce clashes in the northern parts of the country between the militant group on one hand and the army and allied tribes on the other.
Yemen has been dogged by turmoil since pro-democracy protests forced autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down in 2012 after 33 years in power.
The Shia Houthi group first appeared in 1992, taking Yemen's northern Saada province as its main base of operations.
Several rounds of subsequent fighting between the Shia group and the army have left thousands dead on both sides.
Local tribesmen in northern Yemen, meanwhile, have long accused the Shia group of seeking to establish control over their territories.
Houthis have also been battling Salafist groups in several other parts of the crisis-plagued nation.
By Maarib al-Ward
englishnews@aa.com.tr
