No one immediately claimed responsibility but the attack was similar to a previous one claimed by Islamic State
* Houthi official blames Islamic State for bombings
* While al Qaeda long active in Yemen, Islamic State a new player
* Militant attacks happen as sectarian-tinged civil war goes on
By Mohammed Ghobari
SANAA, June 17 (Reuters) - Car bombs hit three mosques and the political headquarters of Yemen's dominant Houthi group on Wednesday, killing and wounding around 50 people, security officials said.
No one immediately claimed responsibility but the attack was similar to a previous one claimed by Islamic State, the militant group that has become active in Yemen in recent months as the country has descended into a sectarian-tinged civil war.
"Four car bombs targeted the political bureau of Ansarullah, the Hashush mosque in the Jiraf district, the Kibsi mosque in the Zira district, and the Qubat al-Khadra mosque, causing the martyrdom and injury of dozens," a security source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The Houthi-controlled state news agency quoted an official calling the attacks "terrorist explosions" and a Houthi official blamed Islamic State.
"Islamic Staters and those like them, those foreign tools, after they were defeated and fled from clashes now resort to their vile, despicable and cowardly booby traps and bombings," Yahya Ali al-Qahoom wrote on his Twitter account.
The apparent militant attack is the most serious in Yemen since suicide bombers killed at least 137 worshippers and wounded hundreds during Friday prayers at two mosques in Sanaa on March 20, attacks claimed by Islamic State.
The Houthis, a political movement hailing from the Zaydi sect of Shi'ite Islam, seized Sanaa in September and spread southward in a push they have described as a revolution against Sunni militants and corrupt government officials.
They have faced stiff resistance in nationwide battles from mostly Sunni militiamen and tribesmen, some of whom have made common cause with al Qaeda militants on the battlefield.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), considered one of the deadliest arms of the global network, has mounted deadly attacks on the Yemeni state for over a decade.
But AQAP has mostly held off on hitting places of worship, and Islamic State in Yemen first emerged publicly in Yemen with the coordinated mosque attacks this year.
Little is known about the group in Yemen, which pledges loyalty to the self-described caliphate run by Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
Both al Qaeda and Islamic State consider the Houthis apostates and have vowed to kill them. In April, Islamic State released a video warning the Houthis of more attacks.
The Houthis have pledged to fight the group. (Reporting By Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Noah Browning; editing by John Stonestreet)
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