Saudi warplanes strike UAE-backed separatists in southern Yemen
[January 02, 2026]
By AHMED AL-HAJ
ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Saudi warplanes have reportedly struck on Friday
forces in southern Yemen backed by the United Arab Emirates, a
separatist leader says.
This comes as a Saudi-led operation attempts to take over camps of the
Southern Transitional Council, or STC, in the governorate of Haramout
that borders Saudi Arabia.
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE rose after the STC moved last
month into Yemen’s governorates of Hadramout and Mahra and seized an
oil-rich region. The move pushed out forces affiliated with the
Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, a group aligned with the coalition
in fighting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Meanwhile, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen accused the head of the STC of
blocking a Saudi mediation delegation from landing in the southern city
of Aden.
Strikes on Hamdrmout
The STC deputy and former Hamdrmout governor, Ahmed bin Breik, said in a
statement that the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces advanced toward
the camps, but the separatists refused to withdraw, apparently leading
to the airstrikes.
Mohamed al-Nakib, spokesperson for the STC-backed Southern Shield
Forces, also known as Dera Al-Janoub, said Saudi airstrikes caused
fatalities, without providing details. The Associated Press couldn’t
independently verify that claim.
Al-Nakib also accused Saudi Arabia in a video on X of using “Muslim
Brotherhood and al-Qaeda militias” in a "large-scale attack " early
Friday that he claimed sepratists were able to repel.
He likened the latest developments to Yemen’s 1994 civil war, “except
that this time it is under the cover of Saudi aviation operations.”
Salem al-Khanbashi, the governor of Hadramout who was chosen Friday by
Yemen's internationally recognized government to command the Saudi-led
forces in the governorate, refuted STC claims, calling them “ridiculous”
and showing intentions of escalation instead of a peaceful handover,
according Okaz newspaper, which is aligned with the Saudi government.
Earlier on Friday, al-khanbashi called the current operation of
retrieving seized areas “peaceful.”
“This operation is not a declaration of war and does not seek
escalation,” al-Khanbashi said in a speech aired on state media. “This
is a responsible pre-emptive measure to remove weapons and prevent chaos
and the camps from being used to undermine the security in Hadramout,”
he added.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen demands the withdrawal of STC forces
from the two governorates as part of de-escalation efforts. The STC has
so far refused to hand over its weapons and camps.
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Southern Yemen soldiers of Southern Transitional Council (STC) at a
check point, in Aden, Yemen, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo)
The coalition's spokesperson Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said Friday
on X that Saudi naval forces were deployed across the Arabian Sea to
carry out inspections and combat smuggling.
Escalating tensions
In his post on X, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber,
said the kingdom had tried “all efforts with STC” for weeks "to stop
the escalation" and to urge the separatists to leave Hadramout and
Mahra, only to be faced with “continued intransigence and rejection
from Aidarous al-Zubaidi," the STC head.
Al-Jaber said the latest development was not permitting the Saudi
delegation's jet to land in Aden, despite having agreed on its
arrival with some STC leaders to find a solution that serves
“everyone and the public interest.”
Yemen’s transport ministry, aligned with STC, said Saudi Arabia
imposed on Thursday requirements mandating that flights to and from
Aden International Airport undergo inspection in Jeddah. The
ministry expressed “shock” and denounced the decision. There was no
confirmation from Saudi authorities.
ِA spokesperson with the transport ministry told the AP late
Thursday that all flights from and to the UAE were suspended until
Saudi Arabia reverses these reported measures.
Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war for more than a decade, with
the Houthis controlling much of the northern regions, while a Saudi-UAE-backed
coalition supports the internationally recognized government in the
south. However, the UAE also helps the southern separatists who call
for South Yemen to secede once again from Yemen. Those aligned with
the council have increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, which
was a separate country from 1967-1990.
—
Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Fatma Khaled in
Cairo contributed to this report.
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