After seizing Taez, Houthis move south, towards Aden President Hadi's refuge. IS claims responsibility for the attacks against two mosques in Sana's, killing 142. With Saudi-Iranian confrontation playing itself out, UN calls for renewed political dialogue.

Sana'a (AsiaNews/Agencies) - At least 5,000 Shia Houthi militias have moved south to fight Sunni groups, a few hours after the United Nations warned that the country might descend into a long civil war.

Yesterday Shia militias, known as Houthis, seized the airport and a nearby military base in Taez, Yemen's third-largest city, threatening Aden, where Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi took refuge last month after fleeing the capital Sana'a.

Increasingly, Yemen is split between the Shia Houthi-controlled north, who are accused of being backed by Iran, and the predominantly Sunni south where President Hadi found refuge, supported by neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

The tensions developed as Shias (nearly a third of the population) began clamouring for greater political representation and power sharing.

The situation has been made worse by the regional conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran for control of the Islamic world, a confrontation complicated by the presence of groups like al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State (IS).

Last Friday, for the first time IS claimed responsibility for attacks in Yemen, against two mosques in Houthi-controlled Sana'a, killing 142.

According to analysts, al Qaeda has probably allied itself with IS, which is in favour of attacks against mosques and the killing of Muslims. Both al-Qaeda and IS are Sunni groups and consider Shia Houthis to be heretics.

Yesterday, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York, warning Yemen that it could slide into civil war like Iraq, Syria or Libya.

In a video link from Qatar, UN emissary to Yemen Jamal Benomar called for "peaceful dialogue" and warned that Yemen was on the "edge of civil war".

Mr Benomar told the Security Council, which officially backs President Hadi, Benomar, that the participation of Houthi rebels in talks was "crucial".

On Saturday, the United States said it was withdrawing its troops from the country because of the worsening security situation. Washington is Yemen's ally against al Qaeda.

On Sunday, Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi vowed to pursue Islamists militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and IS.

Mr Houthi also accused Qatar and Saudi Arabia of "funding all conspiracies in the region".

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