Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday evening welcomed Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdel Salam to his residence and reiterated his country's support for the rebels who control the Yemeni capital Sana'a and others. regions of the country for several years.

"I declare my support for the mujahidah (struggle) for Yemen," he said the next day, in an apparent reference to the rebels, according to a statement posted on his website I nternet.

At the same time, he denounced the "crimes" of the Saudi-led coalition that militarily intervened since 2015 against the Houthis in support of the Yemeni government.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates - a pillar of this coalition -, "and their supporters committed major crimes in Yemen," said the Guide, denouncing "the indifference of the Western world" vis-Ă - these "crimes". Riyadh and Abu Dhabi "seek to divide Yemen," he said.

Call for talks

Ayatollah Khamenei called for talks to end the conflict. "Given Yemen's religious and ethnic diversity, protecting the integrity of Yemen requires internal dialogue," he said.

The war that has raged for more than five years between Houthis and the anti-rabble camp has left tens of thousands dead, and the country is experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world according to the UN.

These battles have doubled in recent days of bloody clashes between forces of the anti-Houthi coalition in the south.

They opposed to Aden, the big city of the south, units loyal to the Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, supported by Riyadh, the force called "Cordon security", formed by Abu Dhabi and linked to a separatist movement south.

Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have tried in recent days to overcome these divisions inside their camp.

In the context of the Yemeni conflict, Saudi Arabia regularly accuses Iran of arming the Houthis. Tehran denies, assuring that its support is purely political.

With AFP