Yemeni President Placed Under House Arrest by Houthi Rebels

Houthi rebels, backed by Iran and controlling Yemen's capital, have placed the country's president under house arrest. According to the Associated Press, the news of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi's house arrest was released by his aides on Wednesday, raising questions about who now governs the poorest Arab country. One of Hadi's aides told the news agency that the president cannot currently leave his home, as the Houthis have removed his guards from the premises and replaced them with their own personnel. Another aide stated that while the Houthi rebels have threatened to put Mansur Hadi 'under legal pursuit,' the president cannot resign under the current circumstances, and the situation has reached a 'point of no return.' The report adds that since the escalation of Houthi attacks and the capture of the capital last September, Mansur Hadi, a U.S. ally in the fight against Al-Qaeda, has lost all options for governing the country. The status of the fight against Al-Qaeda in Yemen, which has claimed responsibility for the recent bloody attack on the offices of the satirical magazine 'Charlie Hebdo' and has urged its followers to carry out lone attacks in European countries, remains uncertain, increasing the likelihood of the country descending into chaos. The Associated Press cites advisers to the Yemeni president stating that the Houthis provided Mansur Hadi with a list on Tuesday, demanding the positions of the first vice president and several key cabinet posts be handed over to their group. The report indicates that the collapse of Mansur Hadi's power stems from the military forces in the country, which are divided between his supporters and those of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Saleh, who stepped down in 2011 amid rising unrest, is said to be behind the Houthi rebels' capture of the capital. After a long silence, he called on Mansur Hadi on Wednesday to hold early presidential and parliamentary elections. He also urged the UN Security Council to lift sanctions against him and two senior Houthi commanders. The UN Security Council had sanctioned Ali Abdullah Saleh and two Houthi commanders last year. The Houthis, a branch of the Zaidi Shia sect, make up one-third of Yemen's 25 million population and are supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Saleh is also a follower of the Zaidi Shia sect, while the current president of Yemen is Sunni. Following the capture of the presidential palace in Yemen on Tuesday, Prime Minister Khaled Bahah left his home and moved to a 'safe location.' The Houthi rebels also captured a government military base on Wednesday that housed ballistic missiles near Sana'a, the capital. On Tuesday, the UN Security Council issued a resolution declaring 'strong support' for Mansur Hadi and called on the Houthi rebels to cease hostilities.