Yemen arrests point to widening rift in Saudi-led coalition

SANAA, Yemen – Yemeni Islamists say forces backed by the United Arab Emirates have arrested 10 members of a local Muslim Brotherhood affiliate in the southern city of Aden.

The Islah Party said in a statement Wednesday that those arrested include prominent party member Mohammed Abdel-Malak, whose house was raided. It called for the release of all those detained.

The arrests point to heightened tensions within the Saudi-led coalition battling Shiite rebels known as Houthis, who control Yemen’s capital and much of the north.

Islah is allied with Yemen’s internationally recognized President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, but the UAE, a key member of the coalition, views it as a threat because of its links to the pan-Arab Muslim Brotherhood.

The coalition has been at war with the Houthis since early 2015.