Yemen vows to quell uprising by preacher

"We will never give up, whatever our sacrifices," Ali Abdullah Saleh said, as a military source reported that more of rebel preacher Hussein Badr Eddin al-Huthi's supporters had been killed by the Yemeni army since Thursday.

"Almost 90 supporters of al-Huthi have been killed in violent battles with army forces over the past three days," said the source, who was among the army troops in the remote mountainous area of Maran near the border with Saudi Arabia.

The latest violence brings to about 300 the number of people killed since Huthi launched an uprising a month ago. But the overall toll could be even higher as the army has reportedly sustained an unknown number of fatalities.

"Dozens were killed and wounded among the armed forces, who since Thursday have launched an offensive to take control of the last hideouts of al-Huthi, whose supporters continue to put up a tough resistance," the source said.

Huthi, the self-styled "Emir al-Mumineen" or Prince of Believers, launched an uprising on June 18 and is believed to be holed up in the Maran area in northern Yemen with as many as 3,000 armed supporters.

The president accused Huthi, a former MP, and his supporters of being "foreign agents", and made references to "foreign intelligence services" without identifying them.

"The signs have started to become clear and they will be made public," said Saleh, quoted by the state news agency Saba in comments marking 26 years of his presidency.

The president told Lebanon's Al-Mustaqbal newspaper in an interview earlier this month that "outside parties" were supporting Huthi's rebellion, "but we cannot point the finger at any country or party."