President of Yemen Flees by Sea Amid Rebel Advance in South

[Grandlarousse]

President of Yemen Flees by Sea Amid Rebel Advance in South
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMARCH 25, 2015, 6:03 P.M. E.D.T.


SANAA, Yemen — President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi fled Yemen by sea Wednesday as Shiite rebels and their allies moved on his last refuge in the south, captured its airport and put a bounty on his head, officials said.

The departure of the close U.S. ally and the imminent fall of the southern port of Aden pushed Yemen further toward a violent collapse. It also threatened to turn the impoverished but strategic country into another proxy battle between the Middle East's Sunni powers and Shiite-led Iran.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies believe the Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, are tools for Iran to seize control of Yemen and say they intend to stop the takeover. The Houthis deny they are backed by Iran.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/03 ... .html?_r=0