Saudi Arabia carried out a series of airstrikes on Friday targeting UAE-backed separatist forces in southern Yemen, resulting in the deaths of at least seven people. The strikes came amid rising tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, following attempts by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to regain control of military installations in the Hadramawt region. The escalation followed a 24-hour ultimatum issued by Yemen’s internationally recognised government demanding that the UAE withdraw its forces from the country.
According to reports, Saudi fighter jets struck positions held by the STC in southern Yemen, marking a significant escalation in hostilities between the two regional allies. A senior STC official, Mohammed Abdulmalik, who heads the council in Wadi Hadramawt and the Hadramawt Desert, said that seven airstrikes hit the Al-Khasah military camp. The attacks reportedly killed seven people and injured more than 20 others. These developments underscore a rare and serious rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both of which have long been involved in Yemen’s conflict but now appear to be pursuing competing agendas.
The airstrikes followed earlier Saudi action in late December, when the kingdom bombed Yemen’s port city of Mukalla. Riyadh claimed the strike targeted weapons shipments allegedly supplied by the UAE to the STC. While Saudi Arabia supports the internationally recognised government of President Rashad al-Alimi, the UAE has backed the STC, a separatist group seeking independence for southern Yemen. This divergence has increasingly placed the two Gulf allies on opposing sides of the conflict.
In recent weeks, the STC had expanded its presence by taking control of large parts of Hadramawt and the neighbouring Mahra province, both of which lie close to Saudi Arabia’s border. Riyadh views the group’s territorial gains as a direct threat to its national security and regional influence. As a result, Saudi-backed forces began efforts to push back the separatists and reassert government authority in the region.
The latest round of airstrikes came shortly after Saudi-backed National Shield Forces launched what was described as a campaign to “peacefully” take control of military sites in Hadramawt. A source close to the Saudi military told AFP that the operation would continue until the STC withdrew from both governorates. The situation has further deteriorated as political and military pressure mounted on all sides.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen accused the STC leadership of obstructing diplomatic efforts by preventing a Saudi mediation delegation from landing in the southern city of Aden. This claim was reported by the Associated Press and added to growing accusations that the separatists were deliberately escalating tensions.
In response, Mohamed al-Nakib, spokesperson for the STC-aligned Southern Shield Forces, accused Saudi Arabia of deploying Islamist militias, including groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda, to conduct a large-scale offensive. In a video statement shared on X, he compared the current situation to Yemen’s civil war in 1994, stating that this time the conflict was being waged under the cover of Saudi air power.
Earlier in the week, Saudi-led coalition forces had bombed Mukalla, claiming the operation targeted arms shipments and armoured vehicles allegedly supplied by the UAE to the STC. Abu Dhabi rejected the allegations, maintaining that it respects Saudi Arabia’s security concerns and sovereignty. The UAE’s Foreign Ministry stated that it remains committed to regional stability and denied taking any actions that could undermine Saudi security.
On the same day, Yemen’s internationally recognised government formally asked the UAE to withdraw its forces from the country, further intensifying diplomatic tensions. Saudi Arabia continues to lead the coalition backing Yemen’s government, primarily to counter the influence of the Iran-aligned Houthi movement along its southern border. The UAE, while initially part of that coalition, gradually shifted its focus toward strengthening its influence in southern Yemen through local militias and the STC.
This divergence in objectives has now brought Riyadh and Abu Dhabi into direct confrontation on Yemeni soil. What began as a joint intervention against the Houthis has increasingly evolved into a complex power struggle between former allies, with southern Yemen emerging as the latest flashpoint in the conflict.
