- LONDON: Britain’s Ministry of Defense says it has made contingency plans to assist in the evacuation of British nationals from Yemen should it become necessary.
The BBC is reporting that some 80 marines on board the naval ship RFA Fort Victoria are deployed off the coast of Yemen and ready to assist. Defense officials say the military has assets in the Gulf region and are ready to help, but refuse to offer any details.
The United States and Saudi Arabia have scrambled to arrange a power transfer to end President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s rule. The Yemeni leader is in Saudi Arabia after being wounded in a rocket attack, and authorities worry that his return will spark new, intensified fighting between his forces and opposition tribesmen determined to topple him.