Saudi Airstrikes Hit UAE-Backed Separatists in Yemen, Escalating Southern Conflict

Fighting intensified in Hadramout governorate, where STC forces clashed with Saudi-backed "Homeland Shield" units. The STC's military spokesperson, Mohamed al-Naqib, said battles were fierce as both sides sought control of strategic areas, including approaches to the city of Seiyun. Yemeni state television reported that STC fighters later withdrew from the al-Safaq checkpoint in Hadramout's Rakhyah district following the Saudi-led coalition's strikes.

According to Yemen's state-run Saba News Agency, Saudi aircraft targeted multiple STC positions late Friday, including the 37th Division Camp on the outskirts of Seiyun. Additional strikes reportedly hit sites recently seized by the STC that had previously been under the control of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government coalition, reported The Jerusalem Post.

Hadramout Governor Salem Ahmed Saeed al-Khunbashi announced that government-aligned forces had retaken al-Khasha'a camp, described as the province's largest and most important military base. He said the operation had been intended as a "peaceful" effort to restore state authority, though it unfolded amid heavy fighting, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The clashes mark a sharp deterioration in relations between Saudi Arabia and the STC, a separatist movement that enjoys backing from the UAE and seeks an independent state in southern Yemen. The STC launched a major push in early December, seizing parts of Hadramout and forcing Saudi-backed government forces to retreat, reigniting conflict in a region that had been relatively stable.

Earlier this week, Saudi-backed Yemeni forces also struck two ships in the port city of Mukalla, suspecting they were delivering weapons to STC units, according to Saba.

The UAE confirmed that its last troops have left Yemen and urged de-escalation following the Saudi-led airstrikes, signaling concern over the renewed hostilities among former allies, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Politically, STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi announced the start of a two-year transitional period to be followed by a referendum on southern independence, a move rejected by Yemen's internationally recognized government.

In response to the violence, Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council, formally requested that Saudi Arabia host a peace conference in Riyadh bringing together all factions involved in the southern clashes. Saudi Arabia welcomed the request, with the Foreign Ministry saying the crisis could only be resolved "through dialogue within the framework of a comprehensive political solution in Yemen."

Riyadh pledged to provide a "suitable environment for dialogue" and called on all southern factions to participate in talks aimed at developing "just solutions," underscoring its bid to stabilize Yemen while managing growing rifts within the anti-Houthi camp.

- ANI