Yemen's Shiite Houthi rebel movement on Friday announced it is taking over the government and dissolving parliament. In a televised statement, the group said a five-member council would act as the president for an interim period, according to the BBC . The group took control of the capital Sanaa in September, forcing the resignation of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in January. The announcement comes after the failure of UN-brokered peace talks. The Houthis set a Wednesday deadline for political parties to reach an agreement on ending the country's political turmoil, threatening to act unilaterally otherwise. The rebels move would mark "a new era that will take Yemen to safe shores'', the statement said, according to The Associated Press (AP) . The declaration will be seen by many Yemenis as the final stage of a Houthi coup, although some may feel that it could offer some hope of greater stability. Government decisions will now in effect be dictated by a revolutionary committee, dominated by the rebels. The Houthis delivered their message from the Republican palace in Sanaa to a huge gathering of political, military and tribal figures in an effort to show the range of their support. The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, are aided by members of the presidential guard who are loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was president until being deposed in 2012. 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. 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. (Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)