Weakness of Yemen’s government undermines U.S. terror fight

As fighters from the Houthi group entered the presidential palace of the American-backed government in Yemen on Tuesday, U.S. officials say the chaos is undermining military and intelligence operations against al-Qaida’s Yemen-based affiliate, which made its reach felt in this month’s deadly Paris attacks. While U.S. officials say the Houthis haven’t taken total control, they acknowledge that the government run by their ally, President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, is more focused now on preserving its power than on running operations against al-Qaida in the Arabian Penninsula. U.S. officials have expressed worries about Iranian support, including weapons, for Houthi’s Shi’ite fighters, but say there are no immediate plans to evacuate the embassy.

This is a coup. There is no other word to describe what is happening but a coup.

Col. Saleh al-Jamalani, the commander of the Presidential Protection Force that guards the palace

President Barack Obama cited Yemen as a terrorism success story in a September speech outlining his strategy against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which involves targeted U.S. strikes on militants with the cooperation of a friendly ground force. But the Houthis seized Sanaa in September, began dictating terms to an enfeebled Hadi, and advanced into central and western regions of Yemen where Sunni Muslims predominate. The Houthis want more rights for the country’s Zaydi Shi’ite sect and say they are campaigning against corruption.

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