The United Nations (UN) Security Council on Tuesday condemned an attack by Houthi rebels on Yemen’s presidential palace and voiced strong support for President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi.

In a statement adopted by the 15 members and quoted by AFP, the council said Hadi “is the legitimate authority” and that “all parties and political actors in Yemen must stand with President Hadi, Prime Minister (Khaled) Bahah, and Yemen’s cabinet to keep the country on track to stability and security.”

The Houthis earlier on Tuesday besieged the presidential palace in the capital city of Sanaa where they have grabbed de facto control in recent months, and even opened cannon fire on the palace to force their demands to be met.

The Houthis are threatening  Hadi, demanding that he increase the Houthi Shiite minority’s representation in the parliament, that he change the draft constitution proposed in recent days, and that he agree to let the Houthis expand their control into additional regions of Yemen.

They are aided by members of the presidential guard who are loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was president until being deposed in 2012.

Their fierce gunfights on Monday with the army forces loyal to the current president left nine people killed and 67 people wounded.

According to the tribal factions, Iranian officers are in Yemen aiding the Houthis take over the country, with their strategy being to conquer the key points of Bab el-Mandab, Ma’rib and Ta’izz, after having already conquered two Red Sea ports: Al Hudaydah and Miri.

Reportedly Iran is seeking to gain control over Yemen in a similar way in which it has used its proxy terror group Hezbollah to gain control in Lebanon. Control in Bab el-Mandeb would put Israeli and European commercial shipping routes between the Red Sea and Asia under the finger of Iran.

Iran held a massive naval drill late last December in which it sent war ships near the Yemenite coast, in a clear message signalling the Islamic regime’s interests.