Saudi warplanes struck UAE-backed separatist positions in southern Yemen on Friday amid a Saudi-led push to retake STC camps in Hadramout. STC spokesmen reported casualties and accused Saudi forces of using militia proxies; those allegations remain unverified. Riyadh says the operation aims to remove weapons and restore security, while diplomatic tension rose after a Saudi mediation jet was reportedly denied landing in Aden.
Saudi Airstrikes Target UAE-Backed Separatists as Riyadh Moves to Seize STC Camps in Hadramout
Southern Yemen soldiers of Southern Transitional Council (STC) at a check point, in Aden, Yemen, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo)
ADEN, Yemen — Saudi warplanes struck positions held by United Arab Emirates-backed separatists in southern Yemen on Friday, according to separatist leaders, as a Saudi-led operation pressed to retake camps held by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Hadramout governorate along the Saudi border.
Clashes and Airstrikes in Hadramout
Ahmed bin Breik, the STC deputy and a former governor of Hadramout, said National Shield Forces — units backed by Saudi Arabia — advanced on STC camps and were met with resistance, a confrontation that he said prompted Saudi airstrikes. Mohamed al-Nakib, a spokesman for the STC-backed Southern Shield Forces (Dera Al-Janoub), told the Associated Press that the strikes caused fatalities; the AP could not independently verify that account.
In a video posted on X, al-Nakib accused Saudi forces of using "Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda militias" as proxies in what he described as a large-scale attack early Friday, which he said the separatists repelled. He compared the clashes to Yemen's 1994 civil war, saying this fighting occurred "under the cover of Saudi aviation operations."
Official Response
Yemen’s internationally recognized government appointed Salem al-Khanbashi on Friday to command Saudi-led operations in Hadramout. Al-Khanbashi dismissed STC claims as "ridiculous," and described the operation as a peaceful effort to retrieve seized areas, remove heavy weapons, and prevent camps from undermining security in the governorate. "This operation is not a declaration of war and does not seek escalation," he said on state media.
Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, a coalition spokesperson, said on X that Saudi naval units have been deployed across the Arabian Sea to carry out inspections and combat smuggling.
Diplomatic Fallout
Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed al-Jaber said Riyadh had made repeated efforts to persuade the STC to withdraw from Hadramout and nearby Mahra, but that STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi remained intransigent. Al-Jaber also accused the STC of denying permission for a Saudi mediation jet to land in Aden — a claim that the STC-aligned transport ministry denied, while saying Riyadh had imposed new inspection requirements in Jeddah for flights to and from Aden International Airport.
The STC-aligned transport ministry said flights between Aden and the UAE were suspended until Saudi Arabia reverses the reported measures; there was no independent confirmation from Saudi authorities at the time of reporting.
Context
Yemen has been engulfed in conflict for more than a decade. Iran-backed Houthi forces control much of the north, while a Saudi-UAE-backed coalition supports the internationally recognized government in the south. The UAE also backs southern separatists who seek renewed independence for South Yemen; STC-aligned groups have increasingly displayed the former South Yemen flag (1967–1990).
Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.
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