WarSclerotic

The Shia rebel Houthis reportedly seized control of the Yemeni capital palace.

By: Lori Lowenthal Marcus

Published: January 20th, 2015

via The Jewish Press » » Report: Shia Rebels Seize Control of Yemeni Capital Palace.

The capital of Yemen is Sana’a
Photo Credit: Wikimedia

The civil war in Yemen appears to have spiked dramatically Tuesday, Jan. 20.

The Associated Press is reporting that the Houthi rebels have seized control of the presidential palace in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a.

If the report is true, it is significant not only as a matter of internal Yemini interest. Yemen is yet another playing field in the Middle East in which the Islamic Republic of Iran is testing its strength. Iran is understood to be a major supporter of the Houthi rebels, which is a Shia Muslim group.

The Yemini government is Sunni. The United States as well as Saudi Arabia have assisted the Yemeni government in countering Houthi forays.

The Houthis have long controlled the north of Yemen, but since the 2011 “Arab Spring,” they have repeatedly pushed further and further south.

Al-Qaeda is also active in Yemen.

More here

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30903516

This entry was posted on January 20, 2015 at 7:24 PM and is filed under Uncategorized. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: Shia Muslim, Shia Rebels Seize Control of Yemeni Capital Palace, Yemen, Yemeni capital