Houth is drive nation to verge of failed state

When Yemen's Houthi fighters scaled the rooftops surrounding former president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's home, killed his guards and put him under house arrest, they left no doubt that negotiating a political settlement with them would be difficult.

The actions of the Shiite Muslim fighters have drawn criticism from across Yemen's political spectrum, especially after their declaration on Friday that they were dismissing the national assembly and would form a new government.

The move, condemned by Washington and Gulf Arab states, has added to fears in the United States and neighboring oil giant Saudi Arabia that Yemen, which is home to an active al-Qaida wing, is on the verge of becoming a failed state.