Yemen’s separatist STC accuses Saudi Arabia of bombing forces along border

Separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) loyal to the region’s governor and forces loyal to the region’s governor sparked fighting on Friday in Hadramout province, which borders Saudi Arabia.

On Friday, the STC claimed that Saudi Arabia bombed its forces close to the border.

Seven airstrikes hit a camp in Al-Khasah, according to Mohammed Abdulmalik, the STC’s head in Wadi Hadramaut and the Hadramaut Desert, killing seven people and injuring 20 others.

However, Salem al-Khanbashi, the governor of Hadramout, claimed that the STC’s efforts to “peacefully and systematically” reclaim military installations in Yemen’s southern province were intended.

He stated in a statement that the operation is a precautionary measure to safeguard security and prevent chaos.

According to Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Al Attab, fighting is reportedly occurring on Friday in locations close to the Saudi border, according to Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Al Attab, who is based in Sanaa.

However, he continued, “we are still waiting for confirmation about what is happening there,” adding that the most recent local information suggested the STC had maintained control of its positions.

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government announced that al-Khanbashi had been given full military, security, and administrative authority over the Eastern Province, in what it claimed was a move to restore security and order, and that it had appointed him to that position.

Saudi Arabia and the internationally renowned Yemeni government have accused Saudi Arabia and its supporters of assisting the STC by arranging its arming and stifling its recent sequestration of southern Yemen’s Hadramout and al-Mahra provinces. Riyadh has warned that it is concerned about Saudi Arabia’s national security because of the STC’s growing presence in these provinces, which border Saudi Arabia. These allegations have been refuted by the UAE, who has stated that it is concerned about Saudi Arabia’s security.

After Saudi Arabia backed a request for its forces to leave within 24 hours, the UAE announced last week that it was pulling its remaining forces out of Yemen.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the STC are all members of Riyadh’s military coalition, which it formed ten years ago to combat the Houthis. However, the STC’s more violent secessionist practices and claims that the UAE supports the group have heightened tensions within the coalition.

Rashad al-Alimi, the head of the presidential leadership council supported by Saudi Arabia, warned against trying to stifle the government’s actions to end the nation’s violent cycle.

According to al-Alimi, “the decision to end the Emirati military presence was made in the context of correcting the course of the [coalition] and in accordance with its joint leadership, and in a way that ensures the cessation of any support for elements outside the state.”

Tensions grow worse.

Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government’s top military have requested that the STC’s fighters cease operations in the southern provinces.

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen, Aidarus al-Zubaidi, blasted the government’s refusal to grant landing permission for a plane carrying a Saudi delegation to Aden on Friday.

The Saudi ambassador, Mohammed Al-Jaber, stated on X that the Kingdom had attempted to stop the escalation “for several weeks and up until yesterday, but it was met with constant rejection and stubbornness from Aidarus Al-Zubaidi.”

As both parties exchanged blame for the airport’s temporary suspension, flights at Aden International Airport remained halt until Friday.

Saudi Arabia accused Saudi Arabia of imposing an air blockade, according to the STC-controlled Transport Ministry in a statement on Thursday, claiming Riyadh required all flights to pass Saudi Arabia for additional checks. However, a source in Saudi Arabia refuted the claim, claiming that Yemen’s internationally recognized government, led by the Presidential Leadership Council, was responsible for the UAE’s requirement for flights to Jeddah for inspection.