Yemeni clerics on Thursday issued a ruling calling for jihad in case of a foreign military intervention amid reports of a possible American military presence in the country. "If any party insists on aggression, or invades the country, then according to Islam, jihad becomes obligatory," Yemen's council of clerics said in a statement signed by 150 clerics.
The fatwa by Yemeni clerics comes a day after senior US Senator Carl Levin called on Washington to consider drone attacks against "al-Qaeda extremists" in Yemen.
On Thursday, Sana'a declared an open war with the so-called Yemeni al-Qaeda and warned citizens against hiding militants and asked them to cooperate with security forces. "The war security forces launched against al-Qaeda elements is open whenever or wherever we find these elements," a government news website reported, quoting an unnamed security source.
