Shiite Rebels Take Over State TV Building in Yemen's Capital, Triggering Overnight Curfew

SANAA, Yemen (TheBlaze/AP) — Yemen's top security body has imposed an overnight curfew in restive areas in the capital, Sanaa, after Shiite rebels took over the state TV building amid heavy clashes.

All three state TV networks went off the air, and witnesses say the building was on fire.

Smokes rises from near the Yemeni Government TV building, background, during clashes between Sunni militiamen and Hawthi Shiite rebels in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014. The Hawthi fighters and militias and army units allied with the Muslim Brotherhood's Islah party battled in Sanaa for a third day Saturday in clashes that have shaken the Yemeni capital, killed over 120 people, and led to thousands fleeing their homes. The violence raises fears that this chronically unstable country could be dragged into the sort of sectarian conflicts that have plagued other nations in the region. (Image source: AP/Hani Mohammed)

The Supreme Security Commission said Saturday the curfew was being imposed in the north and west of the capital.

Mohammed Abdel-Salam, the spokesman of Shiite rebels known as Hawthis, said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page that his group took over the TV building after a heavy exchange of gunfire with troops guarding the building.

Days of clashes between Hawthi rebels and Sunni militiamen have left more than 140 dead and prompted thousands to flee.