Southern Yemen separatists accuse Saudi Arabia of airstrikes amid rising tensions

Separatist forces in southern Yemen have accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out airstrikes against their fighters, escalating tensions within the fragile coalition battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels and raising fears of renewed instability in the war-torn country.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, said the strikes took place on Friday in Hadramout governorate, shortly after Saudi Arabia warned the group to withdraw from areas it had recently seized. Riyadh has not formally acknowledged conducting the strikes.

Amr al-Bidh, the STC’s special representative for foreign affairs, said the council’s forces had been operating in eastern Hadramout after coming under a series of ambushes by gunmen. According to him, two STC fighters were killed and 12 wounded in those attacks, with the alleged Saudi airstrikes occurring later the same day.

The STC said its deployment in the area was aimed at tracking down a wanted individual and disrupting smuggling routes. However, local tribal figures suggested the strikes were intended as a warning. Faez bin Omar, a prominent member of a Hadramout tribal coalition, said he believed the action was meant to pressure the STC into withdrawing its fighters.

An eyewitness, Ahmed al-Khed, said he saw destroyed military vehicles following the strikes, which he believed belonged to forces aligned with the STC. The council’s satellite television channel broadcast what it described as mobile phone footage of the attack, including audio of a man blaming Saudi aircraft.

While Saudi officials did not respond to requests for comment, the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported, citing informed sources, that the strikes were carried out to send a clear message to the STC. The report warned that any further escalation would be met with tougher measures.

The incident follows Saudi Arabia’s call on Thursday for the Emirati-backed separatists to pull back from Hadramout and neighbouring Mahra, where the STC moved earlier this month, displacing forces linked to the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces.

The STC has increasingly promoted the idea of reviving an independent South Yemen, which existed until unification with the north in 1990. Demonstrations were held this week in the southern port city of Aden in support of renewed secession.

The latest developments have added strain to relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, close allies that nonetheless back rival factions in Yemen and have competed for regional influence in recent years. The UAE said on Friday that it welcomed Saudi efforts to support security and stability in Yemen, reaffirming its commitment to regional stability.

Yemen’s conflict began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognised government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year, but nearly a decade of fighting has devastated the country, killing more than 1.5 lakh people and triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

The United States said it was concerned by the latest events in southeastern Yemen, urging restraint and continued diplomacy. In a statement issued early on Saturday, the US State Department called for efforts towards a lasting political solution, warning that further chaos could draw in external powers once again.

With PTI inputs