The commander of the Republican Guard and the former President’s son, Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, ordered a battalion of the second Mountainous Infantry Brigade to storm the Air Force base in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a, the local online news site Mareb Press reported on Sunday citing a source at the air base.
This comes after new battalions in the air force announced their support for the newly-appointed leadership, asking the fired general to leave.
The dismissed commander of the air force, Mohammed Abdullah Saleh who is also the ex-President’s half brother, is still defiant to President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi’s republican decrees sacking him and dozens of other commanders loyal to Saleh.
For his part, the head of the Organizing Committee for the Free Air Force Personnel, Brigadier Abdul-Gani Bin Othal, called in a statement to the media center for arming the air force personnel and they will deal with Mohammed al-Ahmar and defend their base.

“If the highest leadership in the country could not force Al-Ahmar out from Al-Dailami air base in Sana’a, we are free to call for arming the personnel of the base to force the rebel out by ourselves.” Bin Othal said.
Yesterday, the free army troops have withdrawn from the streets of Sana’a in response to the Military Committee’s calls in their efforts to implement the GCC-brokered power transfer deal.
Minister of Defense, Major General Mohamed Nasser Ahmed, thanked the leadership of the First Armored Brigade, topped by dissident Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who defected against Saleh in March last year and pledged support for the revolution.