Speaking to students and academics at Saana University, Saleh says 'there is an operations room in Tel Aviv with the aim of destabilizing the Arab world'
Yemen's embattled US-backed president accused Washington on Tuesday of instigating protests against his regime, as hundreds of thousands marched in cities across Yemen in the largest rallies yet seeking the longtime ruler's ouster.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh's allegations, unprecedented in their harshness, signaled a growing rift with the United States that could hurt a joint campaign against the al-Qaeda terror network in Yemen.
Saleh's comments Tuesday, including charges that the US Embassy in the capital of Sanaa is giving instructions to the protesters, appeared to be part of an attempt to silence the calls for his resignation. Saleh has come under mounting pressure to step down since anti-government protests erupted a month ago.
Opposition parties joined for the first time Tuesday, and organizers said they brought hundreds of thousands into the streets in cities across Yemen for the largest turnout yet.
In Sanaa, tens of thousands rallied near the university, chanting "the people want the downfall of the regime."
Sheikh Abdul-Majid al-Zindani, considered by the US be linked to the al-Qaeda terror network, led noon prayers and warned the government not to use force against demonstrators. "We hail the peaceful revolution of the youths and their legitimate demands and rights," he said.
Yaseen Said Nouman, leader of the Socialist Party, which ruled south Yemen before merging with the north in 1990, also joined the rally. The Socialist party is the biggest opposition party in the south.
Ynet
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