Rebels seize palace in Yemeni capital

SANAA, Yemen — A top Yemeni military commander warned Tuesday that a fullfledged coup d’etat was underway after powerful Shiite rebels shelled the residence of Yemen’s embattled president and simultaneously swept into the presidential palace in the capital, Sanaa.

The violent push by the rebels, known as Houthis, against the U.S.-backed government in Sanaa is seen to be undermining military and intelligence operations against al-Qaida in the Arab Peninsula, which is based in Yemen.

In a lengthy speech aired by the group’s TV network, rebel leader Abdel-Malek alHouthi warned of a further escalation if President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi stands in the way of political reform.

“All options are open,” he said, and escalation “has no ceiling” if the president does not “speed up” implementation of a UN-brokered peace deal that would grant Shiites greater power in Sunnimajority Yemen and shake up a committee tasked with drafting a new constitution.

The UN Security Council called for a lasting ceasefire and condemned the recent surge in violence aimed at undermining the country’s legitimate government institutions.

Al-Houthi also voiced defiance to the Security Council, saying “any measure you take to force this country to succumb ... will not benefit you.”

Hadi was inside the residence as it came under “heavy shelling” for half an hour but he was unharmed and protected by guards, officials said.

The dramatic development puts Hadi in a precarious position and represents the starkest challenge to his authority since the Houthis swept into Sanaa from their northern stronghold and seized the capital in September.

Information Minister Nadia al-Sakkaf posted on her Twitter account that the shelling started at 3 p.m. “by armed forces positioned over rooftops facing” the president’s house.

“This is a coup. There is no other word to describe what is happening but a coup,” said Col. Saleh al-Jamalani, the commander of the Presidential Protection Force that guards the palace, adding that the rebels were likely aided by insiders.