Yemen's Saleh Returns To Continue the Fight

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh returned to his country Sept. 23 after spending several months in Riyadh, where he received treatment for injuries sustained during an assassination attempt and then was prevented from returning home by the Saudi government. Among the regime's half-hearted calls for a cease-fire and political transition, pro-government forces are steadily regaining the upper hand against opposition forces fighting in and around Sanaa, but they are not likely to have the force to overwhelm their rivals. The American and Saudi fear of a more capable jihadist threat emerging from a power vacuum in Yemen will give Saleh the confidence to continue his offensive for now.