In September 2014, Barack Obama announced that Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIL would not be like Iraq. It would be like Yemen. “I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Obama said. “It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil. This counter-terrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out ISIL wherever they exist using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground. This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years.” So how about a check-up on that success? The Washington Post reports, “Shiite insurgents overran Yemen’s presidential palace and shelled the president’s residence Tuesday in an escalating offensive striking at the heart of the Western-allied government. … A government collapse could send the country into full-scale civil war and raise fears of militant factions cementing control of key territory in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula.” Oh. Well, then, Obama might need to look for another model. In all seriousness, this is not good for the fight against terrorism.

Update, Jan. 21, 3:34 p.m.: It seems the Yemeni government has reached a deal to limit the damage.