Shiite rebels in Yemen reached an accord with President Abdurabuh Mansur Hadi and will pull back from his palace after seizing it yesterday, the country’s official news agency said.

Hadi has agreed to demands including redrafting the constitution to specify that Yemen is a federal state, the Saba news agency said. The rebels, known as Houthis, have pledged to pull back from the presidential palace and Hadi’s residence, and other locations including checkpoints set up on Jan. 19 when the latest fighting flared up, Saba said.

The seizure of the palace on Tuesday was the latest advance by the Houthis, who have controlled much of Sana’a since their fighters entered the capital in September. The move threatened to plunge Saudi Arabia’s southern neighbor deeper into sectarian conflict, and was denounced by the Saudis and their Gulf allies, who have supported Hadi, as a coup.

Bloomberg