Additional Coverage:
Saudi Arabia Accused of Airstrikes Against Southern Yemeni Separatists, Escalating Tensions
ADEN, Yemen – Southern Yemeni separatists have accused Saudi Arabia of conducting airstrikes against their forces, a move that significantly heightens tensions in the war-torn nation and threatens the fragile Saudi-led coalition battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The accusations come after the kingdom issued warnings to the separatist forces to withdraw from recently seized governorates.
The Southern Transitional Council (STC), which receives support from the United Arab Emirates, reported that the airstrikes occurred in Yemen’s Hadramout governorate on Friday. While immediate casualty figures remain unclear, the incident risks further destabilizing a region already grappling with a decade-long conflict.
Amr Al Bidh, a special representative for foreign affairs for the STC, stated that their fighters were operating in eastern Hadramout following “multiple ambushes” by armed groups, which resulted in the deaths of two STC fighters and wounded 12 others. Al Bidh confirmed that the Saudi airstrikes took place subsequent to these ambushes. The STC later clarified their operations in the area were aimed at apprehending a wanted individual and disrupting smuggling routes.
Saudi Warnings Preceded Strikes
Faez bin Omar, a prominent member of a coalition of tribes in Hadramout, suggested that the strikes served as a cautionary measure, urging the STC to withdraw its forces from the region. An eyewitness, Ahmed al-Khed, reported seeing destroyed military vehicles after the strikes, believed to belong to forces allied with the STC.
Mobile phone footage, described by the STC’s satellite channel AIC as depicting the strikes, showed a man attributing the attack to Saudi aircraft.
Saudi officials have not formally responded to inquiries regarding the alleged strikes. However, the Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, citing “informed sources,” reported late Friday that the kingdom carried out the strikes “to send a message” to the STC, adding that “any further escalation would be met with stricter measures.”
These strikes follow a Saudi demand issued on Thursday for the Emirati-backed separatists in southern Yemen to withdraw from the Hadramout and Mahra governorates, which they had moved into earlier this month. This expansion displaced forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, another faction within the anti-Houthi coalition.
The STC’s actions have been accompanied by an increasing display of the South Yemen flag, which represents a separate nation that existed from 1967-1990. Demonstrations in the southern port city of Aden on Thursday saw support for political forces advocating for the secession of South Yemen.
Divergent Alignments Create Regional Strain
Since the Houthi capture of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north in 2014, Aden has served as the operational base for the internationally recognized government and allied forces.
The recent actions by the separatists have strained relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, despite their close ties as OPEC members. Both nations have increasingly vied for influence and business opportunities in the region.
The UAE, in a statement Friday, “welcomed the efforts undertaken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support security and stability” in Yemen, reaffirming its commitment to stability and development in the country.
This situation in Yemen mirrors a broader regional dynamic, with both Saudi Arabia and the Emirates supporting opposing factions in the ongoing conflict in Sudan, another nation situated on the Red Sea.
The Enduring Conflict in Yemen
The Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, seized Sanaa in September 2014, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile. While Iran denies arming the rebels, evidence of Iranian-manufactured weaponry has been found on battlefields and in shipments bound for Yemen, despite a UN arms embargo.
A Saudi-led coalition, supported by U.S. weaponry and intelligence, intervened in the conflict in March 2015. Years of inconclusive fighting have pushed Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest nation, to the brink of famine, leading to over 150,000 deaths, including both fighters and civilians, and creating one of the globe’s most severe humanitarian crises.
Adding to the regional instability, the Houthis have launched hundreds of attacks on ships in the Red Sea corridor in response to the Israel-Hamas war, significantly disrupting regional shipping.
Further escalation in Yemen could potentially draw in the United States, which earlier this year conducted an intense bombing campaign targeting the rebels, a campaign briefly halted by former President Donald Trump. The Biden administration has also carried out strikes against the Houthis, including the use of B-2 bombers to target what were described as underground bunkers.