January 22, 2015

Events In Yemen Are Moving Quickly, Plus Some Other Developments

Developments to keep an eye on:
1. Daily Star: Israeli tanks take up positions along Lebanon border (January 21).
2. Antiwar.com: The Death Sentence That Could Inflame Sectarian Tensions Across the Middle East (January 21).
3. Voice of America: Pakistan Minister: Saudis Destabilizing Muslim World (January 20).
4. The Telegraph: Egypt to 'rebuild pyramids' as Sisi plots economic revival (January 20).

Video Title: Yemen leader ready to accept demands of Houthis after his guards were defeated. Source: Reuters. Date: January 21, 2015. Description:
Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi expressed readiness to accept Houthi demands for power-sharing after two days of battle. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.
An excerpt from, "Shiite rebels, Yemen's president reach deal to end standoff" AP, January 21, 2015:
Shiite rebels holding Yemen's president captive in his home reached a deal with the U.S.-backed leader Wednesday to end a violent standoff in the capital, the country's state news agency reported.

The agreement promised to give the rebel Houthi movement more say in the affairs of the Arab world's poorest country in exchange for the group removing its fighters from President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi's home, the SABA news agency said.

However, the late-night deal left unanswered who really controls the country and how much power is still held by Hadi, a key ally in U.S. efforts to battle Yemen's local al-Qaida branch.