Hadi 'flees' as Huthis close in on Aden

Yemen's leader was rushed to a "secure location" yesterday as rebel forces bore down on his southern stronghold and a warplane attacked his presidential complex, prompting pleas for urgent intervention.

Raising the risk that the Middle East's top oil power will be drawn into the worsening Yemeni conflict, US officials said Saudi Arabia was moving heavy military equipment including artillery to areas near its border with Yemen.

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The escalating turmoil has stoked fears that Yemen -- a front line in the US battle against al-Qaeda -- is teetering on the brink of all-out civil war.

The slide toward war in Yemen has made the country a crucial front in Saudi Arabia's region-wide rivalry with Iran, which Riyadh accuses of sowing sectarian strife through its support for the Houthis.

The conflict risks spiraling into a proxy war with Shia Iran backing the Houthis, whose leaders adhere to the Zaydi sect of Shia Islam, and Saudi Arabia and the other regional Sunni Muslim monarchies backing Hadi.

One US government source described the size of the Saudi buildup on Yemen's border as "significant" and said the Saudis could be preparing air strikes to defend Hadi if the Houthis attack his refuge in the southern seaport of Aden.

On the ground, Houthi militia forces backed by allied army units seized al-Anad air base yesterday and appeared close to capturing the southern port of Aden from defenders loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, residents said.

The Houthis, supported by heavy armor, are now within 20 km (12 miles) of Aden, sources said.

Meanwhile, a top aide of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi said the Western-backed leader had been taken to a safe haven "within Aden", the southern port city where he fled last month.

Earlier a source in the presidential guard said that Hadi had flown overseas, but the aide denied he had left the country.

In a major blow to the embattled leader, the Huthis said they had captured his defence minister in their push southwards.

Several missiles were fired by an unidentified warplane at Hadi's complex in Aden but missed his residence and hit an abandoned building, a presidential security official said.

As the security situation worsened, Aden's international airport suspended operations.

Hadi appealed to the UN Security Council on Tuesday to "shoulder its responsibilities... to safeguard Yemen from sliding into more chaos and destruction."

Earlier on Monday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal had warned on Monday that Arab countries might take action "to protect interests from Huthi aggression".