(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Yemeni rebels closed in on President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi as they seized Aden's airport yesterday, prompting warnings of a full-blown conflict and pleas for urgent foreign intervention.
The escalating turmoil in Yemen - which borders Saudi Arabia and lies close to key shipping routes - pushed up world oil prices on fears it could threaten Middle Eastern petroleum producers.
Acting foreign minister Riyad Yassin warned in Egypt that the fall of second city Aden would mean the "start of civil war" as he drummed up Arab military support for Hadi. His comments came as army units switched allegiance to the rebels and seized Aden's international airport.
Aides to Hadi said however that the Western-backed president had been taken to a safe haven "within Aden".
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