Yemeni rebels seize presidential palace (LIVE BLOG)

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On AQAP's dual identities in Yemen

Yemen leader, Houthis reportedly in deal to end crisis

Agence France-Presse — Yemen's president and Shia militia reached a nine-point agreement Wednesday under which the militia are to withdraw from government buildings in return for concessions over a draft constitution, state media said.

The Houthi militia vowed to vacate the presidential palace, seized on Tuesday, and to free President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi's chief of staff as part of a deal also agreed by other factions, said Saba news agency, which published the text of the document.

In return, it will now be "possible to amend" a draft constitution stipulating the division of Yemen into six federal regions that the Houthis opposed, the agency said.

The US Department of State's comments on Yemen

Via Hannah Allam, national correspondent reporter for McClatchy Newspapers, covering foreign affairs:

The US drone war in Yemen

In 2011, GlobalPost contributor Jeb Boone wrote about America's drone war in Yemen. Here's an excerpt from his piece:

While Americans debate the ethics of killing American citizens abroad without a trial, as happened when a US predator drone targeted US-born Al Qaeda campaigners Anwar Al-Awlaki and Samir Khan last month, there has been little talk about the ethics of killing civilians. In Yemen, however, the subject is on everyone's mind. 

Although drones have been flying over the country for almost a decade, the frequency of the attacks has increased significantly in recent years. Locals in southern Yemen, where the drone strikes are primarily concentrated, said that these days, the US drones have been bombing on a near daily basis.

Gulf states condemn attempted 'coup' in Yemen, back president

Agence France-Presse — Gulf foreign ministers on Wednesday accused Shiite militia in Yemen of attempting to stage a "coup" against President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, a day after the Huthi fighters seized the presidential palace.

"The states of the Gulf Cooperation Council consider what happened in Sanaa on Tuesday… a coup against the legitimate authority," the ministers said in a statement following an emergency meeting in Riyadh that also expressed support for Hadi.

Why US drone policy in Yemen is a 'disaster now'

The Daily Beast's Jamie Dettmer writes:

Four months ago President Obama cited Yemen as a drone-led model for counter-terrorism … That strategy looked shaky then, where Yemen was concerned, and it’s a disaster now. 

The beleaguered U.S.-backed president of Yemen, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, wasn’t in the palace when Shiite insurgents swept into it after days of violence.

Timeline of major events in Yemen

The BBC's country profile of Yemen offers a quick insight into important moments in the country's history, starting from the 1500s.

Where does the US stand in the crisis?

Writing from Yemen's capital, Sanaa, The Washington Post's Ali al-Mujahed and Hugh Naylor describe how the current instability might impact US efforts in quelling the influence of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula:

Greater chaos in Yemen could be a serious setback to U.S.-led pressures against AQAP, including drone strikes. It also could open another sectarian battleground in the Middle East between Sunni-led al-Qaeda and the rival Shiite rebels.

Houthi gunmen guard Yemen leader's home

Reuters — Yemen's Houthi fighters took up guard at President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's home on Wednesday but said they had not toppled him, after two days of fighting that have put the Shia group in all but total control of the capital.

The Houthis, who are friendly to Iran, have emerged as the dominant force in the country but, for now at least, appear to have decided to stop short of overthrowing Hadi, possibly preferring to keep the enfeebled leader at their mercy rather than claim the burden of seizing power.

Their defeat of the presidential guards in gunbattles and artillery duels in recent days adds to disarray in a country where the United States is also carrying out drone strikes against one of the most powerful branches of Al Qaeda.

After clashes at the president's office and home on Tuesday, the Houthis' leader threatened in a speech overnight to take further "measures" unless Hadi bows to his demand for constitutional changes that would increase Houthi power. By early morning on Wednesday, Houthi fighters, accompanied by an armored vehicle, had replaced the guards at the president's residence.

Presidential guard sentry posts were initially empty, however a few guards later appeared and were permitted to take up positions.

"President Hadi is still in his home. There is no problem, he can leave," Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi politburo, told Reuters.

Yemen, an impoverished nation of 25 million, has been plagued by Islamist insurgency, separatist conflict, sectarian strife and economic crisis for years. An "Arab Spring" popular uprising in 2011 led to the downfall of long-ruling President Ali Abdullah Saleh, bringing more chaos.

In his televised speech overnight, Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi warned Hadi that he had to implement a power-sharing deal struck when his men seized the capital in September.

"We … will not hesitate to impose any necessary measures to implement the peace and partnership agreement," said Abdel-Malek, whose Shiite Muslim group is widely seen as an ally of Iran in its regional struggle for influence with Saudi Arabia.

"All the options are open and without exception and the ceiling is very, very high. And this is why, I here advise the president … Implement this deal. It is for your benefit and for the benefit of your people," he said on live television.

The accord gives the Shia Muslim group, which takes its name from the family of its leader, a role in all military and civil state bodies. Hadi, an ally of the West and staunch supporter of US drone attacks on Al Qaeda fighters in Yemen, has also been at odds with the Houthis over the divisions of regional power in a draft constitution. Abdel-Malek's speech appeared to leave little doubt that his movement was now in effective control of the country.