Battle of Sanaa (2017)

Battle of Sanaa (2017)
Part of the Yemeni Crisis and the Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)
Situation in Sana'a, early December 2017   Houthi control   Saleh control (Before being expelled)
Date 28 November 2017 – 4 December 2017 (6 days)[4][5] Location Sana'a, Yemen Result Houthi victory[5] Ali Abdullah Saleh killed by Houthi forces[6] Houthis gain total control of Sana'a[7]
Belligerents
Supreme Political Council Houthis General People's Congress (pro-Houthi wing)[1][2]	Saleh loyalists General People's Congress (pro-Saleh wing) Republican Guard Supported by: Saudi-led coalition:[3]  Saudi Arabia  United Arab Emirates
Commanders and leaders
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi Mohammed Ali al-Houthi Saleh Ali al-Sammad	Ali Abdullah Saleh † Tareq Saleh (WIA)[8] Khaled Ali Saleh (POW) Aref al-Zouka †[1]
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown number of killed, 600 soldiers captured and later released[9]
234 killed, 400 wounded overall (per the ICRC and the UN)[10][11]

The Battle of Sanaa (2017) was fought between forces loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Houthis in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a. Both sides were allied during the 2014–15 Houthi takeover of the government but the alliance ended when Saleh decided to break ranks with the Houthis and call for dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who are leading a military intervention in Yemen. Fighting then broke out between the Houthis and forces loyal to Saleh as the Saudi-led coalition began bombing Houthi areas, ultimately resulting in Saleh's death and a Houthi victory.