Gabon soldiers on state radio early Monday called on the people to "rise up" and announced a "national restoration council" would be formed, as an ailing President Ali Bongo is out of the country.

Shots were heard in the around state television headquarters in the centre of the capital at about the same time as the message was read at 6:30 am (0530 GMT).

Military vehicles blocked access to the boulevard where the offices are located, an AFP correspondent said.

The message was read on state radio by a person who identified himself as the deputy commander of the Republican Guard and head of a group called the Patriotic Youth Movement of the Gabonese Defence and Security Forces.

Three soldiers wearing the green beret of the Republican Guard were visible on a video of the speech circulating on social media and authenticated by AFP.

The movement "calls on all young people from forces for the defence and security and Gabonese young people to join us," the officer said, announcing that a "national restoration council" would be formed.&nbsp;

"We cannot abandon our homeland," he said.

"The eagerly awaited day has arrived when the army has decided to put itself on the side of the people in order to save Gabon from chaos.

"If you are eating, stop; if you are having a drink, stop; if you are sleeping, wake up. Wake up your neighbours... rise up as one and take control of the street," he said on the radio.

He called on people to occupy public buildings and airports throughout the country.

The developments came as Bongo is recovering at a private residence in the Moroccan capital Rabat.

The 59-year-old leader has not been back to Gabon since he fell ill in Saudi Arabia on October 24.

It was revealed last month that he had suffered a stroke.

On December 31, he addressed the country for the first time since falling ill, saying in a recorded speech from Morocco that he had "been through a difficult period."

The Bongo family has governed the oil-rich equatorial African nation for five decades.

Ali Bongo was elected head of state after his father's death in 2009.

He was narrowly re-elected in 2016 following a presidential poll marred by deadly violence and allegations of fraud.

Gabon soldiers on state radio early Monday called on the people to "rise up" and announced a "national restoration council" would be formed, as an ailing President Ali Bongo is out of the country.

Gabon soldiers on state radio early Monday called on the people to "rise up" and announced a "national restoration council" would be formed, as an ailing President Ali Bongo is out of the country. Shots were heard in the around state television headquarters in the centre of the capital at about the same time as the message was read at 6:30 am (0530 GMT). Military vehicles blocked access to the boulevard where the offices are located, an AFP correspondent said. The message was read on state radio by a person who identified himself as the deputy commander of the Republican Guard and head of a group called the Patriotic Youth Movement of the Gabonese Defence and Security Forces. Three soldiers wearing the green beret of the Republican Guard were visible on a video of the speech circulating on social media and authenticated by AFP. The movement "calls on all young people from forces for the defence and security and Gabonese young people to join us," the officer said, announcing that a "national restoration council" would be formed. "We cannot abandon our homeland," he said. "The eagerly awaited day has arrived when the army has decided to put itself on the side of the people in order to save Gabon from chaos. "If you are eating, stop; if you are having a drink, stop; if you are sleeping, wake up. Wake up your neighbours... rise up as one and take control of the street," he said on the radio. He called on people to occupy public buildings and airports throughout the country. The developments came as Bongo is recovering at a private residence in the Moroccan capital Rabat. The 59-year-old leader has not been back to Gabon since he fell ill in Saudi Arabia on October 24. It was revealed last month that he had suffered a stroke. On December 31, he addressed the country for the first time since falling ill, saying in a recorded speech from Morocco that he had "been through a difficult period." The Bongo family has governed the oil-rich equatorial African nation for five decades. Ali Bongo was elected head of state after his father's death in 2009. He was narrowly re-elected in 2016 following a presidential poll marred by deadly violence and allegations of fraud.

Gabon soldiers call for uprising, shots heard in capital

A Saudi-led coalition intensified air strikes on Yemen early&nbsp;on Wednesday&nbsp;as the armed Houthi movement tightened its grip on the capital after it killed former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who switched sides in the civil war.

Saudi Arabia and its allies struck a day after Saleh&#39;s son vowed to lead a campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthis.

The intervention by Ahmed Ali, a former leader of the elite Republican Guard once seen as a likely successor to his father, gives the anti-Houthi movement a potential figurehead after a week of fighting that saw the Houthis rout Saleh&#39;s supporters in the capital.

Yemen&#39;s war, pitting the Iran-allied Houthis who control Sanaa against a Saudi-led military alliance backing a government based in the south, has brought what the United Nations calls the world&#39;s worst humanitarian crisis.

Saleh had helped the Houthis win control of much of the country&#39;s north, including Sanaa, and his decision to switch allegiances and abandon the Houthis in the past week was the most dramatic change on the battlefield in years.

But the Houthis swiftly crushed the pro-Saleh uprising in the capital and killed him.

Coalition fighter jets carried out dozens of air strikes, both sides said, bombing Houthi positions inside Sanaa and in other northern provinces.

Yemen&#39;s pro-Houthi Al Masirah television station said the coalition bombed Saleh&#39;s residence and other houses of his family members.

Residents told Reuter&#39;s loud explosions were heard in downtown Sanaa.

Masirah said air strikes also hit northern provinces including Taiz, Haja, Midi, and Saada. There was no immediate word on casualties.

In a sign of support and defiance, tens of thousands of Houthi supporters staged a rally in Sanaa&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;to celebrate the death of Saleh. They chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and its allies.

The proxy war between regional arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran has already killed more than 10,000 people, with more than two million displaced. Nearly a million have been hit by a cholera outbreak and famine threatens much of the country.

The United Nations says millions of people may die in one of the worst famines of modern times, caused by warring parties blocking food supplies.

The UN Secretary-General Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, called on all parties to show restraint in a briefing to the Security Council.

&quot;Increased hostilities will further threaten civilian lives and exacerbate their suffering,&quot; he said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;that the killing of Saleh would, in the short term, likely worsen an already dire humanitarian situation in the country.

Mattis, speaking with reporters on a military aircraft en route to Washington after a brief trip to parts of the Middle East and South Asia, said it was too early to say what impact the killing would have on the war.

He said it could either push the conflict towards U.N. peace negotiations or make it an &quot;even more vicious war.&quot;

The commander of Iran&rsquo;s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said Yemen&rsquo;s enemies had been behind Saleh&#39;s armed uprising and praised what he called the Houthis&#39; swift quashing of the &quot;coup against the holy warriors&quot;, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

The death of Saleh, who once compared ruling Yemen to dancing on the heads of snakes, deepens the complexity of the multi-sided war.

Much is likely to depend on the future allegiances of his loyalists, who had previously helped the armed Houthi group, which hails from the Zaidi branch of Shi&#39;ite Islam that ruled a thousand-year kingdom in northern Yemen until 1962.

In a statement sent to Reuters by an aide, his son said his father was killed at &quot;the hands of the enemies of God and the country&quot;.

Ahmed Ali said he would &quot;confront the enemies of the homeland and humanity, who are trying to obliterate its identity and its gains and to humiliate Yemen and Yemenis&quot;.

The Arabian peninsula&#39;s poorest country, Yemen is one of the most violent fronts in the proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which have also backed opposing sides in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere across the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia and its allies struck a day after Saleh's son vowed to lead a campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthis

A Saudi-led coalition intensified air strikes on Yemen early on Wednesday as the armed Houthi movement tightened its grip on the capital after it killed former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who switched sides in the civil war. Saudi Arabia and its allies struck a day after Saleh's son vowed to lead a campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthis. The intervention by Ahmed Ali, a former leader of the elite Republican Guard once seen as a likely successor to his father, gives the anti-Houthi movement a potential figurehead after a week of fighting that saw the Houthis rout Saleh's supporters in the capital. Yemen's war, pitting the Iran-allied Houthis who control Sanaa against a Saudi-led military alliance backing a government based in the south, has brought what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Saleh had helped the Houthis win control of much of the country's north, including Sanaa, and his decision to switch allegiances and abandon the Houthis in the past week was the most dramatic change on the battlefield in years. But the Houthis swiftly crushed the pro-Saleh uprising in the capital and killed him. Coalition fighter jets carried out dozens of air strikes, both sides said, bombing Houthi positions inside Sanaa and in other northern provinces. Yemen's pro-Houthi Al Masirah television station said the coalition bombed Saleh's residence and other houses of his family members. Residents told Reuter's loud explosions were heard in downtown Sanaa. Masirah said air strikes also hit northern provinces including Taiz, Haja, Midi, and Saada. There was no immediate word on casualties. In a sign of support and defiance, tens of thousands of Houthi supporters staged a rally in Sanaa on Tuesday to celebrate the death of Saleh. They chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and its allies. The proxy war between regional arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran has already killed more than 10,000 people, with more than two million displaced. Nearly a million have been hit by a cholera outbreak and famine threatens much of the country. The United Nations says millions of people may die in one of the worst famines of modern times, caused by warring parties blocking food supplies. The UN Secretary-General Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, called on all parties to show restraint in a briefing to the Security Council. "Increased hostilities will further threaten civilian lives and exacerbate their suffering," he said. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday that the killing of Saleh would, in the short term, likely worsen an already dire humanitarian situation in the country. Mattis, speaking with reporters on a military aircraft en route to Washington after a brief trip to parts of the Middle East and South Asia, said it was too early to say what impact the killing would have on the war. He said it could either push the conflict towards U.N. peace negotiations or make it an "even more vicious war." The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said Yemen’s enemies had been behind Saleh's armed uprising and praised what he called the Houthis' swift quashing of the "coup against the holy warriors", the semi-official Fars news agency reported. The death of Saleh, who once compared ruling Yemen to dancing on the heads of snakes, deepens the complexity of the multi-sided war. Much is likely to depend on the future allegiances of his loyalists, who had previously helped the armed Houthi group, which hails from the Zaidi branch of Shi'ite Islam that ruled a thousand-year kingdom in northern Yemen until 1962. In a statement sent to Reuters by an aide, his son said his father was killed at "the hands of the enemies of God and the country". Ahmed Ali said he would "confront the enemies of the homeland and humanity, who are trying to obliterate its identity and its gains and to humiliate Yemen and Yemenis". The Arabian peninsula's poorest country, Yemen is one of the most violent fronts in the proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which have also backed opposing sides in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere across the Middle East.

Saudi-led coalition intensifies Yemen air strikes after Saleh's death

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Gabon soldiers call for uprising, shots heard in capital

Saudi-led coalition intensifies Yemen air strikes after Saleh's death