Saudi Arabia – At least 20 separatist fighters were killed on Friday when the Saudi coalition strikes Yemen targeted military installations controlled by the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council. The airstrikes mark a significant escalation in tensions between Gulf powers, occurring just two days after the UAE announced its withdrawal from the region following earlier bombardments in Yemen’s Mukalla.
The deadly attacks represent the first time coalition forces have caused casualties since the STC seized almost all provinces of Hadramout and Mahra, including critical oil facilities, earlier in December. The Saudi coalition strikes Yemen have disrupted airport operations and intensified the complex power struggle playing out across the war-torn nation.
Deadly Airstrikes Target Multiple Military Sites
The fighters died in coordinated attacks on military bases in Al-Khasha and Seiyun, according to an official from the Southern Transitional Council’s forces. The Saudi coalition strikes Yemen specifically hit the airport and military base in Hadramout’s Seiyun city, with witnesses confirming multiple impacts across strategic locations.
The airstrikes have severely disrupted civilian infrastructure, with no planes taking off or landing at Aden airport for more than 24 hours. Despite the operational shutdown, the ministry has not officially announced the airport’s closure, leaving travelers and residents in uncertainty about when normal operations will resume.
Strategic Timing and Military Objectives
The Saudi coalition strikes Yemen came shortly after pro-Saudi forces launched a campaign to peacefully take control of military sites in Hadramout. This timing suggests a coordinated effort to reassert Saudi influence in the region following the STC’s territorial gains throughout December.
Hadramout governor Salem Al-Khanbashi, who leads the province’s Saudi-backed local forces, insisted that the operation does not constitute a declaration of war. He clarified that the mission aims to peacefully and systematically hand over military sites and does not target any specific political or social group.
UAE Seeks De-escalation After Withdrawal
Following the Saudi coalition strikes Yemen, the UAE stated that it seeks de-escalation and confirmed that its last forces had left Yemen. The Gulf nation’s withdrawal came after Saudi Arabia bombed the port city of Mukalla on Tuesday, targeting a shipment that had arrived from the UAE.
Saudi authorities alleged the shipment carried weapons, while the UAE firmly denied these claims, stating the shipment contained only vehicles. This dispute over the Mukalla bombardment appears to have triggered the broader crisis between the two Gulf powers, ultimately leading to the UAE’s complete military withdrawal from Yemen.
STC Declares ‘Existential War’
A military spokesperson for the Southern Transitional Council characterized the situation as a “decisive and existential war” with Saudi-backed forces in Yemen. The STC framed the conflict as a fight against radical Islamism, reflecting the UAE’s longtime regional preoccupation with combating extremist ideologies.
Saudi sources confirmed the Saudi coalition strikes Yemen were carried out by the Saudi-led coalition, which nominally includes the UAE and was originally formed in 2015 to fight the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen’s north. A Saudi military source warned that the attacks would continue unless the STC withdraws forces from the two governorates.
International Community Accusations
Amr Al Bidh, the foreign affairs representative for the STC, accused Riyadh of deliberately misleading the international community. He claimed Saudi Arabia announced a “peaceful operation” they never intended to keep peaceful, pointing out that the Saudi coalition strikes Yemen began with seven airstrikes launched minutes after the peaceful declaration.
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This accusation highlights the growing diplomatic rift between former allies and raises questions about the credibility of announced intentions in the complex Yemeni conflict.
Complex Rivalries and Power Dynamics
Although the political rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Yemen dates back nearly a decade, the STC’s recent offensive has particularly angered Riyadh and placed the oil-rich Gulf powers at loggerheads. Opposing the STC stands the Yemeni military, which is allied with the Hadramout Tribal Alliance, a local tribal coalition supported by Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi coalition strikes Yemen exemplify how Saudi Arabia and the UAE now back rival political groups based in Yemen, a country sitting at the crossroads of critical shipping lanes on the edge of the Middle East’s predominant energy-exporting region.
Ongoing Civil War Complications
While Abu Dhabi and Riyadh function as rival powerbrokers in Yemen’s government-run areas, the Gulf powers still form the backbone of the coalition aimed at dislodging Houthi rebels. The Houthis forced the government from the capital Sanaa in 2014 and seized Yemen’s most populated areas.
After almost a decade of civil war, the Houthis continue to maintain their positions while the Saudi coalition strikes Yemen and internal rivalries among government-backed forces create additional layers of complexity. The Saudis and Emiratis backing different factions in government-held territories demonstrates how the anti-Houthi alliance has fractured into competing interests.
Strategic Implications
The Saudi coalition strikes Yemen killing 20 separatist fighters marks a dangerous new phase in the conflict, where former coalition partners now directly target each other’s proxies. This development threatens to further destabilize Yemen and complicate any potential path toward peace in a nation already devastated by years of warfare.
