Subscribe Login
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
  • Home
  • News
    • International News
  • Latest
  • Business
    • Business Bites
  • Cartoon
  • Games
  • Food Awards
  • Health
  • Entertainment
    • Bookends
  • Regional
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • World Cup
    • World Champs
    • Olympics
  • Videos
  • Career & Education
  • Classifieds
  • All Woman
  • Environment
  • Webinars
  • More
    • Football
    • Elections
    • Letters
    • Advertorial
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Supplements
  • Epaper
  • Design Week
Shiite rebels call for Yemen offensive; US troops evacuate
In this photo taken on Friday, March 20, 2015, militiamen loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi ride on an army vehicle ona street in Aden, Yemen. (PHOTO: AP)
News
March 21, 2015

Shiite rebels call for Yemen offensive; US troops evacuate

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Yemen’s Shiite rebels issued a call to arms yesterday to battle forces loyal to the country’s embattled president, as US troops were evacuating a southern air base crucial to America’s drone strike programme after al-Qaeda militants seized a nearby city.

The turmoil comes as Yemen battles al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the target of the drone programme, and faces a purported affiliate of the extremist Islamic State group that claimed responsibility for a series of suicide bombings killing at least 137 people Friday.

All these factors could push the Arab world’s most impoverished country, united only in the 1990s, back toward civil war.

“I hate to say this, but I’m hearing the loud and clear beating of the drums of war in Yemen,” Mohammed al-Basha, a spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, DC, wrote on Twitter.

The Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, swept into Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in September and now control it and nine of the country’s 21 provinces. President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, a one-time prisoner of the Houthis in his own home, escaped last month and installed himself in Aden, declaring it the temporary capital amid the Houthi insurrection.

Earlier yesterday, Hadi gave his first televised address since fleeing the capital, striking a defiant tone. He described the rebels’ rule as “a coup against constitutional legitimacy”. He also pledged to raise the Yemeni flag over the Maran mountains, a stronghold for the Houthis, members of the Shiite Zaydi sect that represents nearly 30 per cent of Yemen’s population.

Hadi also said regional Shiite power Iran supported the Houthis, something critics also allege and the rebels deny. Sunni Gulf countries have lined up to support Hadi and have moved their embassies to Aden to back him against the Shiite rebels.

Almost immediately after Hadi’s speech, the Houthis issued a statement announcing their offensive against security and military institutions loyal to Hadi, calling it a battle against extremists.

“The council announces this decision to call the proud sons of the Yemeni people in all regions to unite and support and cooperate with the armed and security forces in confronting terrorist forces,” they said in the statement carried by the Houthi-controlled state news agency SABA.

{"website":"website"}{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
img img
0 Comments · Make a comment

ALSO ON JAMAICA OBSERVER

Macron pledges ‘zero tolerance’ for arson after spate of fires in France
International News, Latest News
Macron pledges ‘zero tolerance’ for arson after spate of fires in France
July 16, 2026
NOISY-SUR-ECOLE, France (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday pledged "zero tolerance" for arson after wildfires scorched thousands of ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Image Plus earns two-thirds of last year’s profit in three months
Business, Latest News
Image Plus earns two-thirds of last year’s profit in three months
July 16, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica--IMAGE Plus Consultants Limited earned the equivalent of two-thirds of its entire 2025/26 profit during the first three months of th...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Jet Star Records’ Palmer brothers honoured for contribution to reggae in UK
Entertainment, Latest News
Jet Star Records’ Palmer brothers honoured for contribution to reggae in UK
Howard Campbell 
July 16, 2026
Last March, the Palmer brothers were among 12 reggae stalwarts honoured by the Brent City Council for their contribution to the music’s development in...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
US limits stays of students, journalists
International News, Latest News
US limits stays of students, journalists
July 16, 2026
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) -- President Donald Trump's administration moved Thursday to impose stricter limits on how long foreign students and j...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
US retail sales lose steam in June as consumers spend less on gasoline
International News, Latest News
US retail sales lose steam in June as consumers spend less on gasoline
July 16, 2026
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) -- US consumers slowed their spending in June while energy costs fell, government data showed Thursday, cooling retail...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
North-South Highway round trip could rise to $5,220
Latest News, News
North-South Highway round trip could rise to $5,220
July 16, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- MOTORISTS travelling the full length of the Highway 2000 North-South Link could soon pay $5,220 for a round trip between Caymanas...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
IEG pins recovery on $2.3-billion project slate after profit tumbles 58%
Business, Latest News
IEG pins recovery on $2.3-billion project slate after profit tumbles 58%
July 16, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — INNOVATIVE Energy Group Limited (IEG) is banking on approximately $2.3 billion in newly secured and restarted projects to sustain ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Public schools get 55% boost in operational funding — Morris Dixon
Latest News, News
Public schools get 55% boost in operational funding — Morris Dixon
BY RENAE OSBOURNE Observer staff reporter osbourner@jamaicaobserver.com 
July 16, 2026
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has increased operational funding to all public schools by an average of 55 per cent this year, injecting an additiona...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
❮ ❯

Polls

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

Archives

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tweets

Polls

Recent Posts

Archives

Logo Jamaica Observer
Breaking news from the premier Jamaican newspaper, the Jamaica Observer. Follow Jamaican news online for free and stay informed on what's happening in the Caribbean
Featured Tags
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Health
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Letters
  • Page2
  • Football
Categories
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
Ads
img
Jamaica Observer, © All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feeds
  • Feedback
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Code of Conduct