Houthis captured San'aa Show Down in Yemen.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Pentagon in position to evacuate U.S. Embassy in Yemen

By Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent

Updated 2056 GMT (0456 HKT) January 20, 2015

Houthis inspect a damaged mosque in Sanaa on January 20.

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Houthi men raise their weapons during clashes near the presidential palace in Sanaa on Monday, January 19. Nine people were killed and 67 others were injured in the fighting between government forces and Houthi militants on Monday before the sides agreed to a ceasefire, Yemen's Health Ministry said.

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Smoke and flames rise in Sanaa during heavy clashes between presidential guards and Houthi rebels on January 19.

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Armed Houthis gather at Sebin Square as they close the road to traffic near the presidential palace in Sanaa on January 19.

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Houthi men guard a Sanaa street on January 19.

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A man walks inside a heavily damaged house near the presidential palace in Sanaa, Yemen, on Tuesday, January 20. Houthi militants took control of the presidential palace, Yemen's Minister of Information Nadia Sakkaf told CNN, a day after heavy fighting ended in a ceasefire deal.

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A woman walks past closed shops in Sanaa on January 20.

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An armed member of the Houthi movement stands guard in the streets of Sanaa on January 20. Houthis are Shiite Muslims who have long felt marginalized in Yemen, a majority Sunni Muslim country.

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A man surveys his damaged home in Sanaa on January 20.

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Houthis inspect a damaged mosque in Sanaa on January 20.

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Houthi men raise their weapons during clashes near the presidential palace in Sanaa on Monday, January 19. Nine people were killed and 67 others were injured in the fighting between government forces and Houthi militants on Monday before the sides agreed to a ceasefire, Yemen's Health Ministry said.

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Smoke and flames rise in Sanaa during heavy clashes between presidential guards and Houthi rebels on January 19.

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Armed Houthis gather at Sebin Square as they close the road to traffic near the presidential palace in Sanaa on January 19.

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Houthi men guard a Sanaa street on January 19.

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A man walks inside a heavily damaged house near the presidential palace in Sanaa, Yemen, on Tuesday, January 20. Houthi militants took control of the presidential palace, Yemen's Minister of Information Nadia Sakkaf told CNN, a day after heavy fighting ended in a ceasefire deal.

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A woman walks past closed shops in Sanaa on January 20.

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An armed member of the Houthi movement stands guard in the streets of Sanaa on January 20. Houthis are Shiite Muslims who have long felt marginalized in Yemen, a majority Sunni Muslim country.

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A man surveys his damaged home in Sanaa on January 20.

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Houthis inspect a damaged mosque in Sanaa on January 20.

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Washington (CNN)Two U.S. Navy warships moved into new positions in the Red Sea late Monday to be ready to evacuate Americans from the US embassy in Yemen if an order comes to do so, CNN has learned.

 

So far, there has been no decision to evacuate the embassy. The USS Iwo Jima and the USS Fort McHenry were moved "because they will be in the best position if asked," by the State Department to evacuate the embassy, a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the planning tells CNN. So far there has been decision to evacuate the embassy, and no request from the State Department for military assistance.

 

If an evacuation is ordered, the first option would be to have embassy personnel drive to the commercial airport in Sanaa and fly out, the official said. But in the wake of an embassy car being fired Tuesday, the safety of the roads in the capital is now being constantly evaluated, the official said. If embassy workers did drive to the airport it is likely some sort of air cover would be provided, under the current plan.

 

Other detailed military planning for various options has been finalized, the official said. Those options would be used if a request for military assistance were made.

 

If helicopters and V-22 aircraft from the ships are sent to Sanaa, it would be a complex operation that could last for several days to fully evacuate "several hundred Americans" from the embassy, the official cautioned. "Nobody should think this would be easy."

 

The military is aware the State Department wants to keep the embassy open as long as possible, the official said, noting that it's a valuable tool to monitor Al Qaeda in Yemen. But behind the scenes the Pentagon is pressing the point that if an evacuation becomes necessary they want to do it before the chaos in Sanaa descends into a 'non permissive environment," akin to combat. For now, the US believes the Houthis are not targeting Americans, but its not clear if that will last.

 

The plan at this point only involves the potential evacuation of State Department personnel. It would be up to State to decide if it wants to extend the potential mission to other Americans in Yemen.

[DoctorKenney]

If the Shia's capture all of Yemen, we should expect to see swarms of Yemeni refugees crossing the Gulf of Aden into Somaliland and Puntland. And this could be disastrous for us.

 

And this will put even MORE pressure on the Somalis who happen to live in Yemen as refugees from the civil war.