Yemen's then newly appointed Defence Minister Major General Mahmoud al-Subaihi attends an event in Sanaa December 6, 2014. Subaihi has fled Houthi-controlled Sanaa for Aden, officials said on March 8, 2015, in a move expected to bolster President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in his power struggle with the Shi'ite Muslim group. Yemen is caught in a stand-off between the Western-backed president and the Iran-backed Houthi clan, now the country's de facto rulers. The group seized the presidential palace in Sanaa in January and confined the president to his private residence. Officials said the defence minister, General Mahmoud al-Subaihi, escaped in a convoy on Saturday night, arriving in the southern port city of Aden early on Sunday. Picture taken December 6, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi (YEMEN - Tags: POLITICS HEADSHOT MILITARY CIVIL UNREST PROFILE)