Yemeni Rebels Seize Key City

CNN reports:

Tribal fighters took control of a top Yemeni city on Tuesday, a setback for an embattled government whose injured president is confined to a hospital in Saudi Arabia.

More than 400 tribal gunmen took over Taiz in southwest Yemen, eyewitnesses there said.

The gunmen had been clashing with Yemeni security forces near the city's Republican Palace and eyewitnesses said they are now in control of the city. The palace is not far from the city's Freedom Square -- a focal point of anti-government protests.

Government forces have been regrouping in an effort to re-enter the city. Yemen's government has faced international criticism for excessive use of force against anti-regime protesters and the deaths of anti-government demonstrators in Taiz.