Yemen president's whereabouts unknown amid militia advance

Yemen's president was rushed to a "secure location" Wednesday as rebel militiamen bore down on his southern stronghold and a warplane attacked his presidential complex.

The escalating turmoil has stoked fears that Yemen is teetering on the brink of all-out civil war.

A top aide of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi said the 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.

The US State Department said Washington had been in touch with Hadi as late as Wednesday but was not able to say where he is.

"We were in touch with him earlier today," spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.

"He is no longer at his residence, which you've seen in reporting... I am not in a position to confirm any additional details from here about his location. We have been in touch with him over the last several days."

"I just wanted to make clear that we had been in touch as recently as this morning," she said.

"In terms of his departure, I think it's pretty clear he left voluntarily. I don't think I need to put a new characterisation on it."

Meanwhile, a Yemeni army brigade linked to the Shiite militia seized Aden's airport on Wednesday, witnesses said.

They said 39th armoured brigade soldiers posted near the airport had taken control of the facility, after switching allegiance to side with the Houthi militiamen.

The Houthis television channel, Al-Massira, also said the army unit had "secured the airport".

'Start of civil war'

Yemen's foreign minister said Wednesday that if rebels seize the southern city of Aden, it will mean the "start of civil war".

Riyad Yassin, speaking in Egypt on the eve of a preparatory meeting for a weekend summit of the Arab League, also warned against an eventual "domination of the entire Arabian peninsula by Iran," which is suspected of backing the Shiite militia.

Yemen has been gripped by growing turmoil since the Houthi Shiite rebels launched a power takeover in Sanaa in September and dissolved parliament in February.

The strife has raised fears that the country could be torn apart by a proxy war between Shiite Iran, accused of backing the rebels, and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, which supports Hadi.

In a major blow to Hadi, the Houthis 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.

Large crowds of Aden residents could be seen running to take up arms at a weapons depot in preparation for the expected rebel advance, an AFP photographer said.

Key airbase seized

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."

His plea followed a warning from UN envoy Jamal Benomar that Yemen was sliding towards a "civil war".

Rebel forces seized a key airbase just 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Aden on Wednesday, days after US military personnel were evacuated from the site.

The Houthis took control of Al-Anad airbase following "limited clashes" with forces loyal to Hadi, an official told AFP.

Rebel forces advanced deep into Lahj province, which is adjacent to Aden and where the rebels said they had seized Hadi's defence minister, General Mahmud al-Subaihi.

Subaihi escaped house arrest at the hands of the Houthis in Sanaa this month.

He had been seen as a vital ally of Hadi in charge of organising defence lines aimed at averting the fall of Aden.

Dozens of people have been killed as the Houthi militia, backed by troops allied to former strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, have clashed with pro-Hadi forces as they push southwards.

Call for intervention

Saleh, who resigned in 2012 following nationwide protests, has been accused of backing the Shiite rebels as he seeks to regain influence.

Yemen is increasingly divided between a north controlled by the Houthis and a south dominated by Hadi supporters.

In a letter to the Security Council Tuesday, Hadi called for a binding UN resolution asking countries to provide immediate support "by all means and measures" to protect Yemen.

He voiced concerns that Al-Qaeda will "seize the current instability to spark further chaos".

He referred to an unspecified "missile capability looted from the legitimate authority," and asked the Security Council to take control of the missiles.

The Council has so far only released a declaration of support for Hadi, during an emergency meeting the president requested Sunday.

Diplomats on the council said no new meeting has been planned at this time.