By HAN News Desk
ADEN — Saudi warplanes carried out airstrikes targeting military vehicles belonging to the Southern Transitional Council (STC), an Emirati-backed force, in southern Yemen, as Riyadh moved to support the internationally recognized Yemeni government in its efforts to regain territory lost in recent fighting.
According to local security and military sources, the strikes destroyed several combat vehicles operated by STC forces in contested areas of southern Yemen. The air campaign came amid escalating clashes between the STC and troops loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which Saudi Arabia supports.
Saudi Arabia, the leading member of the Arab coalition intervening in Yemen since 2015, said the strikes were aimed at halting advances by the STC and restoring government control over strategic locations in the south. Government forces have recently pushed into areas previously seized by the STC, signaling a new phase in the internal conflict among nominal allies in the broader war against the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.
The STC, which advocates for the re-establishment of an independent South Yemen, is backed politically and militarily by the United Arab Emirates, another key member of the Saudi-led coalition. Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE have periodically surfaced due to their differing priorities in Yemen, particularly regarding the future political structure of the country.
Witnesses reported heavy explosions and plumes of smoke following the airstrikes, while medical sources said casualties were feared, though no official toll was immediately available. Neither the STC nor the UAE issued an immediate response to the strikes.
The internationally recognized Yemeni government welcomed Saudi support, saying the airstrikes were necessary to prevent further instability and to safeguard what it described as the legitimacy of the state. Officials accused the STC of undermining unity and exploiting the conflict to impose control over southern regions.
Yemen’s war, now in its second decade, has killed hundreds of thousands of people and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The latest violence in the south highlights deep fractures within the anti-Houthi camp, raising concerns that renewed infighting could further complicate efforts to reach a lasting political settlement.
