Sana'a (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Islamic State militias (IS) have claimed yesterday’s two suicide attacks on a Shiite mosque in Sanaa, capital of Yemen, which has killed at least 28 people. The official Saba news agency , close to the Houthi rebels, reported the claim and that the blasts left dozens of wounded, some in serious condition.
The first bomb (a man laden with explosives) hit the Al Moayyad mosque, located in a suburb controlled by Houthis north of Sanaa; the second bomb (placed in a car) exploded while civilians were engaged in providing relief to the victims of the first explosion.
Yesterday's was the fifth attack on a mosque in the Yemeni capital in the last two months; places of worship affiliated with Shiite rebels are the target of the attacks, given that they have been locked in a bloody war with government forces.
The double attack was claimed by IS militias, with a message sent from an account on Twitter to the Sunni jihadist group. In recent days, two operators of the International Red Cross were murdered while they were aboard a convoy in the capital.
Back in January, the country became embroiled in a bloody conflict between the Saudi-backed, Sunni-dominated government and Iran-supported Houthi Shia rebels.
Since March, the Saudis have led of a coalition against the rebels, launches air strikes against their positions. At least 4,500 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since 19 March, with an additional 6,000 wounded, this according to United Nations reports.
In Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, some of its oldest artistic sites, many classified as UNESCO heritage sites, have been destroyed during the conflict.
In the meantime, the Arab League gave to its member states four months to agree on a joint force against the Islamic State; however, this was postponed to "a date to be decided" at the request of Saudi Arabia, supported by Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar , the United Arab Emirates and Iraq.
For some analysts and experts, this attitude is due to a power struggle inside the Saudi regime, as well as the latest developments in the Iran nuclear affair.
For any regional coalition to succeed against the Islamic State, it must include Sunnis and Shias, which implicitly means that both Tehran and Riyadh have to be on board.