"The interior ministry announces the end of the crisis of militias and the killing of their leader and a number of his criminal supporters," an anchor said on the rebels' official Al-Masirah television, referring to armed supporters of Saleh.

Saleh on Saturday announced the end of his alliance with the Iran-backed Huthi rebels, with whom he has jointly ruled the capital for three years.

The statement came shortly after a video began to circulate on social media showing what appeared to be a dead Saleh, wrapped in a floral-print blanket with a severe head injury.

The 75-year-old strongman ruled Yemen for more than three decades, until his ouster under popular and political pressure in 2012.