The US ambassador to Yemen visited the country's embattled president Monday in the southern port city of Aden where Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has set up base after fleeing house arrest at the hands of Shiite rebels in the capital Sanaa, ABC News reported.
The visit reflected US support for Hadi in his campaign against the rebels known as the Houthis, who in September overran Sanaa and in January declared they have taken over the country.
Ambassador Matthew Tueller was the first Western diplomat to visit Hadi since he fled Sanaa. As they took a walk around the presidential palace on Mt. al-Asheqeen overlooking Aden, Tueller said Hadi is the "legitimate" leader of Yemen.
Arab Gulf ambassadors paid similar visits to Hadi in the past few days, pledging to open embassies in Aden after closing them in Sanaa following the rebel power grab. Hadi has also gained support from influential tribal and provincial leaders.