Yemen close to full war against Shi'ites

Yemen declared a state of emergency in a northern province bordering Saudi Arabia late Wednesday, where the Yemeni army is waging a comprehensive offensive against Shi'ite Islamists, bringing the country to the brink of all-out civil war.

A serious humanitarian crisis has developed in the fighting zone, with more than 130,000 people fleeing over two weeks of fighting.

Government officials say that the rebels, who are part of the Zaydi branch of Shi'ite Islam, oppose Yemen's alliance with the United States and want to restore clerical rule that existed until the 1960s.

Warplanes and artillery bombed the Saada province for a second straight day on Thursday, according to the rebels and local officials.MORE HERE