SANA’A — The Interior Ministry declared a plan be implemented during the Eid holiday to maintain security and stability and to prevent any imminent security breaches.

In the past few days, the ministry has taken strict security measures in the capital city and in other large cities in preparation for Eid.

According to the ministry, the implementation of this security plan is due to concerns that extremist operations could be launched against government or foreign facilities in the coming days. Central Security personnel have been deployed to some streets of the capital city, particularly in districts where embassies and government compounds are situated, as an additional security precaution.

Brigadier General Fadhl Al-Anshali, the operation department manager at the Interior Ministry, said the plan concentrates on securing places of worship, in addition to protecting parks, gardens and beaches.  

He said security services would be larger in size and in protection during the Eid holiday across the country. Weapons carrying will be banned, fireworks will be controlled and a traffic plan regulating vehicle movements will be implemented.

Lieutenant Colonel Abdulrahman Nasser Al-Thulaia, chief of a security patrol, said strict military and security measures have been taken to control traffic movements during Eid holiday, particularly the people who come to Sana’a from other governorates.

He said heavy traffic during Eid is the greatest challenge for the security apparatuses assigned to intensify control of border crossings to prevent arms smuggling by Al-Qaeda affiliates.

Brigadier General Abdulkareem Al-Weshali, a Yemeni military expert, said the military situation in Sana’a is set to explode any moment now because of the uncontrolled security vacuum and the manifestation of weapons carrying after a brief decrease in street weapons. However, the most worrying escalation lies in the regular assassination attempts leading officials, he said.