Yemen secessionists accuse Saudi Arabia of striking their forces in south Submitted by Shraddha Joshi on Fri, 12/26/2025 - 12:09 Strikes follow Saudi government call for UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council to withdraw from Hadhramaut and al-Mahrah governorates Yemeni members of the Sabiha tribes of Lahj rally to show their support for the Southern Transitional Council (Saleh al-Obeidi/AFP) Off The Southern Transition Council (STC) in Yemen accused Saudi Arabia of launching air strikes against its forces on Friday, AP News reported . While the Saudi government has not yet acknowledged the strikes, they came a day after the Saudi Foreign Ministry called on the UAE -backed separatist group to withdraw from Hadh  ramaut and al-Mahrah governorates. The report cited a statement from Amr al Bidh, a special representative of foreign affairs for the STC, who told AP news that the forces in eastern Hadh  ramaut had faced “multiple ambushes” by gunmen on Friday, killing two and wounding 12 others before the Saudi air strikes. Middle East Eye previously reported that the STC gained control over Yemen’s easternmost governorates earlier this month, prompting a withdrawal from Saudi-backed forces in the region. The sparsely populated Hadh  ramaut governorate holds 80 percent of Yemen’s mild oil reserves and was previously controlled by the Saudi-backed government of Yemen and local Hadrami tribes, who have also enjoyed support from Saudi Arabia. War in Yemen: Who are the Southern Transitional Council? Why are they backed by the UAE? Read More » This month’s developments are part of the ongoing civil war in Yemen that broke out in 2014 when Houthi fighters took the capital, Sanaa, and pushed out the Saudi-backed government. The STC, which emerged in 2017, joined the UN-recognised government of Yemen following negotiations in 2022. However, it has recently renewed calls for an independent state in the south of the country. The council and its affiliated groups have long received support from the Emirati government, which, in turn, has built several coastal military bases administered by the STC. The recent STC takeover in Hadhramaut has stoked tensions between the two Gulf states, which back opposing actors in the governorate. Despite the standoff in Hadhramaut, the Emirati government issued a statement on Friday welcoming Saudi efforts to advance stability in the region, according to Saudi Arabia. The STC is continuing to expand its control in the region and has taken steps to gain greater international backing and recognition, including recent talks of normalising relations with Israel . Yemen War News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0