Yemeni leader urges public to enlist, offers amnesty to Houthi defectors

The head of Yemen’s governing body has called on people to mobilise and join the Saudi-backed armed forces as it seeks to counter advances made by the Houthis towards the critical Bab al-Mandeb strait. The Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council chair Rashad al-Alimi also pledged on Friday to pardon any Houthi fighter who defects to the government forces in his first speech since the government forces were routed from the western Red Sea coast by the rebel group.