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Yemen’s embattled president flees stronghold as Shiite rebels advance Yemen’s embattled president flees stronghold as Shiite rebels advance
(35 minutes later)
SANAA, Yemen — Yemen’s embattled president was pushed deeper into crisis Wednesday after fleeing a last-ditch refuge as advancing Shiite rebels seized a key air base to add another prize to their expanding territory. SANAA, Yemen — Shiite rebels believed backed by Iran moved on Yemen’s second-largest city Wednesday, overrunning two key airfields and forcing the president to flee, threatening the last remnants of the country’s Western-allied leadership.
The whereabouts of Western-allied President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi was not immediately clear. Some parts of Aden remained held by forces loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi — who abandoned his last-ditch refuge in the seaside city — but the domino-style rebel gains raised questions about how long Hadi’s troops could hold their ground.
But any further disintegration of Hadi’s power would tip Yemen closer toward a civil war involving various factions, including a powerful branch of al-Qaeda. Yemen also offers a potential proxy battlefield for the wider regional rivalries between Shiite power Iran and the Gulf Arab states backed by Washington. The fall of Aden to the rebels, known as Houthis, would give the insurgents control of both the capital, Sanaa, and the country’s main sea gateway.
Senior security officials told The Washington Post that Hadi had left his residence in Aden, the country’s second-largest city, where his government sought a foothold after being driven from the capital, Sanaa, by the Houthi rebels believed backed by Iran. It also could be the end of Hadi’s bid to cling to power, and the beginning of a fiefdom-versus-fiefdom civil war in a country once hailed as a critical front in the U.S.-led war against al-Qaeda.
Yemen’s branch of al-Qaeda holds patches of the country and views the Houthis as foes in battles for influence and Yemen’s modest oil wealth.
[Who are the Houthis?][Who are the Houthis?]
Yemen’s foreign minister, Riyadh Yaseen, told Al Jazeera from Egypt that Hadi was in “secure” place in Aden. On a broader level, Yemen represents a potential proxy battlefield for the wider regional rivalries between Shiite power Iran and the Gulf Arab states backed by Washington, which had counted on Hadi as a partner in coordinating drone strikes against al-Qaeda.
But Hadi’s precise location remained in doubt even as Houthi-controlled state television said a nearly $100,000 bounty was offered for the president’s capture. Amid the widening chaos, Hadi’s whereabouts remained unclear.
Senior security officials told The Washington Post that Hadi had left his residence in Aden, where his government sought a foothold after being driven from the capital, Sanaa, by the Houthi rebels.
Yemen’s foreign minister, Riyadh Yaseen, told Al Jazeera from Egypt that Hadi was in a “secure” place in Aden. Later, however, officials told the Associated Press that Hadi and top aides had escaped by sea on two boats.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief journalists.
Neighboring Saudi Arabia — which has massed troops on its border with Yemen — offered haven to Hadi’s predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh, after he was driven from power by Arab Spring-inspired uprisings in 2012.
Houthi-controlled state television said a nearly $100,000 bounty was offered for the president’s capture.
Some members of Hadi’s inner circle, meanwhile, appeared to run out of room. Rebels said they had captured the country’s defense minister and a top aide near Aden.Some members of Hadi’s inner circle, meanwhile, appeared to run out of room. Rebels said they had captured the country’s defense minister and a top aide near Aden.
The security officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief journalists.
[ Yemen’s collapse also sinks U.S. counterterrorism strategy][ Yemen’s collapse also sinks U.S. counterterrorism strategy]
Security officials told the Post that Hadi fled his compound just hours after the rebels announced they had taken the important al-Anad air base, located less than 20 miles from Aden. The airfield was once a main link in the U.S.-directed drone missions against al-Qaeda.
Later, the rebels reported taking control of Aden’s civilian airport.
Hadi’s government has appealed for military intervention from the gulf’s military alliance, which is anchored by neighboring Saudi Arabia, and has called on the United Nations to authorize foreign armed forces to enter Yemen.Hadi’s government has appealed for military intervention from the gulf’s military alliance, which is anchored by neighboring Saudi Arabia, and has called on the United Nations to authorize foreign armed forces to enter Yemen.
But gulf states have given no signals of plans for an immediate mobilization to aid Hadi, and the last units of U.S. and British commandos have been pulled from Yemen amid the widening instability.But gulf states have given no signals of plans for an immediate mobilization to aid Hadi, and the last units of U.S. and British commandos have been pulled from Yemen amid the widening instability.
The unraveling of Hadi’s power over the past months dealt a significant blow to U.S.-led efforts to wage drone attacks and other pinpoint strikes against suspected strongholds of the Yemen-based branch of al-Qaeda, which is considered among the terror group’s most active networks. Saudi Arabia reinforced troops and tanks on its southern border with Yemen. Yet any ground intervention would require a long and difficult trip through the heart of Houthi-held territory to reach Aden.
The Reuters news agency, meanwhile, quoted a Saudi official saying the frontier deployment was “only to defend the country” and not a prelude to a push into Yemen.
The unraveling of Hadi’s power over the past months has dealt a significant blow to U.S.-led efforts to wage drone attacks and other pinpoint strikes against suspected strongholds of the Yemen-based branch of al-Qaeda, which is considered among the terror group’s most active networks.
Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels — seen as foes of al-Qaeda — have claimed increasing territory since taking control of the capital in January. Hadi’s government, backed by loyalist forces, relocated to the southern port of Aden.Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels — seen as foes of al-Qaeda — have claimed increasing territory since taking control of the capital in January. Hadi’s government, backed by loyalist forces, relocated to the southern port of Aden.
The security officials said Hadi fled his compound just hours after the rebels announced they had taken the important al-Anad airbase, located less than 20 miles from Aden. The airfield was once a main link in the U.S.-directed drone missions against al-Qaeda.
Last week, suicide bombers killed at least 137 people at two Shiite mosques in Sanaa linked to the Houthi rebels.Last week, suicide bombers killed at least 137 people at two Shiite mosques in Sanaa linked to the Houthi rebels.
Murphy reported from Washington.Murphy reported from Washington.
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