SANA, Yemen — The Houthi rebels who effectively forced Yemen’s president and cabinet to step down last month announced on Friday that they intended to dissolve Parliament and take control of the country, which does not now have a functioning government.
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The Houthis, who are believed to be financed by Iran, are dominated by a Shiite Muslim sect, the Zaydis, who make up nearly one-third of the country’s population and are dominant in the north. The Houthis are anti-American, but they are even more opposed to Al Qaeda, whose regional affiliate is powerful in the Sunni tribal areas of Yemen, particularly in the oil-rich east and south.
