At least one blast tore through a mosque in
Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa Thursday,
witnesses said, targeting Shiite worshippers during
prayers at the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-
Adha and leaving at least 25 dead. The attack happened in the Balili mosque near a
police academy in Sanaa, which is controlled by the
Houthi Shiite rebels, according to witnesses. Some
reports said there had been two explosions, both
by suicide bombers. At least 25 people were killed, medics told the AFP
news agency, with dozens more wounded. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but
the Yemeni capital has been shaken by a string of
bombings of Shiite mosques in recent months
claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. The radical Sunni Muslim group considers Shiites to
be heretics and has also claimed bombings of
mosques in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have seized several
regions of Yemen including Sanaa which they
overran a year ago. Pro-government forces backed by Saudi-led air
strikes have recently managed to wrest back some
southern provinces, including Yemen’s second city
of Aden. The Islamic State group and the Yemen-based
branch of its jihadist rival Al-Qaeda have exploited
the turmoil to boost their activities in the
impoverished country. The bombing came as Muslims around the world
celebrated Eid al-Adha – the feast of sacrifice –
which Muslims mark by prayers in congregation at
mosques.