Zaidi cleric, Mohammad Abdulazem al-Houthi, mobilized on Monday his forces in Houthi-controlled areas following fierce clashes between his forces and others backed by Abdulmalek al-Houthi. “Mohammad Abdulazeem mobilized his forces in Sanaa, Amran and Dhamar to protect their comrades who are currently present in Houthi-controlled areas in Saada,” Yemeni tribal sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on. Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Monday that 40 members of the Iran-backed Houthi militias were killed over the weekend in internal fighting between rival factions over a drugs shipment. The clashes erupted between gunmen loyal to Houthi leader Abdulmalek al-Houthi and others loyal to his uncle, Mohammed Abdulazem. On Monday, Mohammad Abdulazem called on all his followers to quickly intervene to rescue the families of al-Hmeidan region from the rival Houthis, describing the militias as “thieves, criminals and insurgents.” The militias had bombarded the homes of Mohammed Abdulazem’s followers in Saada with heavy weapons. “The attacks are an insidious and cowardly aggression,” he said in a statement. He added that members of the rival faction were surrounding his followers in al-Hmeidan region, pounding their homes with heavy, medium and light weapons and attacking children, women and the elderly. Tribal sources said Monday that battles between the two sides renewed in the two districts of Majaz and Sahar. In addition, the sources said that Abdulmalek’s forces kicked off a campaign of arrests against Mohammad Abdulazem’s followers. “More than 40 armed men were killed during the battles, which ended on Sunday night after tribal mediators intervened to calm the situation,” they revealed. Mohammed Abdulazem al-Houthi adopts a different ideology from his nephew. He adheres to the al-Zaidi imams ideology, while Abdulmalek al-Houthi adheres to the Iranian Khomeini doctrines.