WSJ: 'Yemen President Under House Arrest and Forced to Step Down'

A recent report by Wall Street Journal has cited Saudi and Yemeni officials narrating the events of the last few weeks, during which the Saudi-backed Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi handed down power to an eight-member council earlier this month.

Revealing the events that led to the decision perceived as a major political "shake up" in Yemeni politics, especially as it takes place during the two-month truce between the Saudi-led coalition and Yemen's Houthis, the WSJ suggests that Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi's decision was a result of intense Saudi pressure.

Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi has been living in Saudi Arabia since the spring of 2015 when the Saudi-led coalition launched its military intervention in Yemen to stop the Iran-backed Houthis from taking over power.

However, despite years of Saudi support for his internationally-recognized government, Hadi has reportedly been "forced to hand down power" to a council headed by former interior minister Rashad al-Alimi. The new council's members were then welcomed by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman who pledged to "support Yemen through the new governing body" with a US$3 billion plan.

WSJ sources report that Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi has appeared on video as he shook hands with the new council's members after Saudi pressure and that he is now still in Saudi Arabia, living under "de facto house arrest", similar to one rumored to have targeted former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in November 2017. According to WSJ's Saudi sources, Hadi is said to "be confined in his Riyadh house with all communications restricted." Sources cited "Hadi's corrupt activities" as the main reason behind Saudi's decision to replace him.

The US-based newspaper also cited other Saudi officials who denied house arrest reports completely.