Saleh had helped the Houthis win control of much of the country's north including Sanaa, and his decision to switch allegiances and abandon the Houthis in the past week was the most dramatic change on the battlefield in years.
Saleh alikuwa amewasaidia Wahouthi kushinda sehemu kubwa ya kaskazini mwa nchi hiyo ikiwa ni pamoja na Sanaa, na uamuzi wake wa kubadili utii na kuwaacha Wahouthi katika wiki iliyopita ulikuwa mabadiliko makubwa zaidi katika uwanja wa vita kwa miaka mingi.