Yemeni rebels release slain ex-president Saleh’s sons – officials

Yemen’s Shiite rebels on Wednesday released two sons of late former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, according to officials. The UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, and Omani officials helped negotiate the release of Salah and Madian Saleh, AP reported. Both sons were being flown to Jordan’s capital, Amman, officials  said. The sons’ release was confirmed by the Houthi rebels’ news agency, SABA. Its report quoted an unnamed source as saying that Saleh’s sons were pardoned by Mahdi al-Mashat, the head of the rebels’ Supreme Political Council. The sons had been in custody since the rebels killed Saleh, their onetime ally, when they gained the upper hand in days of fighting with Saleh’s forces for control of the capital Sanaa in December 2017. Saleh ruled Yemen for more than three decades until an Arab Spring uprising forced him to step down in 2012.