Events remain unclear as The Shiite rebels have dissolved Yemen's parliament with no current news about the status of unrest throughout the country. No announcements have been made by either the US Embassy or the State Department as of yet with no emergency evacuation announcements on their websites. The process has unfolded with a variety of demonstrations, attacks on institutions, but one assumes that much in the way of back-channel diplomacy has already occurred between the international community's "group of 10" since September 2014 and the Revolutionary Committee in anticipation of the shift in power following the resignation of President Hadi who is still being held under house arrest.
SANAA, Yemen– Yemen's powerful Shiite rebels announced on Friday that they have taken over the country and dissolved parliament, a dramatic move that finalizes their months-long power grab.
The development also pushes the impoverished country further into chaos and threatens to turn the political power struggle into a full-blown civil and sectarian conflict, pitting Houthi Shiites against the country's majority Sunnis, including powerful tribesmen and secessionists in the south.
It could also play into the hands of Yemen's al Qaeda branch, the world's most dangerous offshoot of the terror group, and jeopardize the U.S. counter-terrorism operations in the country.
The takeover statement placed Houthis' security and intelligence arm, known as the "Revolutionary Committee," as the ruler of Yemen.
The declaration will be seen by many Yemenis as the final stage of a Houthi coup, although some may feel that it could offer some hope of greater stability.
Government decisions will now in effect be dictated by a revolutionary committee, dominated by the rebels.
The Houthis delivered their message from the Republican palace in Sanaa to a huge gathering of political, military and tribal figures in an effort to show the range of their support.
Their writ will not be recognised by many Sunni and southern leaders, threatening Yemen with a further descent into chaos.
The UN's point man on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, headed straight to Saudi Arabia after the failure of talks to try to achieve some kind of political consensus there.
It is a sign of how concerned the Saudis are over what they see as an Iranian-backed Shia takeover in a country where they're accustomed to calling the shots.
Rebels announce five-member presidential council tasked with forming technocrat government and dissolve parliament.
Yemen's Shia Houthi rebels have announced that they have dissolved parliament and installed a five-member "presidential council" which will form a transitional government to govern for two years.
In a televised statement on Friday from the Republican Palace in the capital, Sanaa, the rebel group said that it would set up a transitional national council of 551 members to replace the dissolved legislature.
The "constitutional declaration", attended by tribal and military representatives as well as by the outgoing interior and defence ministers, came after a Wednesday deadline set by the Shia militia for political parties to resolve the crisis passed with no agreement.
Call of Duty Black Ops version of Yemen presumably Aden
Traditionally, United States – Yemen relations have been tepid, as the lack of strong military-to-military ties, commercial relations, and support of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has hindered the development of strong bilateral ties. During the early years of the George W. Bush administration, relations improved under the rubric of the war on terror, though Yemen's lax policy toward wanted terrorists has stalled additional United States support. According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 18% of Yemenis approve of U.S. leadership, with 59% disapproving and 23% uncertain.