7 Killed After Saudi-Led Coalition Launches Airstrikes On UAE-Backed Separatists In Yemen

Last Updated:January 02, 2026, 18:01 IST

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen launched airstrikes against the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which took control of large parts of the country last month.

Supporters of the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) wave flags of the group in Yemen. (Reuters)

At least seven people were killed in Yemen on Friday after a Saudi Arabia-led coalition attacked UAE-backed separatists who have seized huge swathes of territory, an official for the group said.

More than 20 people were also wounded as seven airstrikes hit a camp in Al-Khasah, said Mohammed Abdulmalik, head of the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Wadi Hadramaut and Hadramaut Desert, according to AFP. This came after Yemen’s Saudi-backed government launched what it called a ‘peaceful’ operation to take back military operations from the UAE-backed separatists.

This marked the latest escalation in Yemen, where a rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who back opposing sides, has escalated since December. “Saudi Arabia knowingly misled the international community by announcing a peaceful operation that they never had any intention to keep peaceful," STC senior official Amr Al Bidh told Reuters.

Why Is The Fighting Taking Place?

The Saudi-led coalition appointed Hadramout Governor Salem Ahmed Saeed al-Khunbashi to take overall command of the “Homeland Shield" forces in the eastern province, and granted him full military, security and administrative authority to “restore security and order". The governor said it was not a declaration of war, but rather a measure to prevent Hadramout from sliding into chaos.

Three Yemeni sources told Reuters that armoured vehicles belonging to the Saudi-backed government have been moving towards the Khash’a camp in Hadramout, which has the capacity to house thousands of troops and was taken over by the STC in December.

A spokesperson for the STC, Mohammed al-Naqeeb, said later on Friday that forces were on full alert across the region and warned that it was ready to respond forcefully in a post on X.

Who’s Fighting Who?

The UAE supports the STC, which took control of large parts of southern Yemen last month from the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government – a move Riyadh viewed as a threat. Last week, the UAE announced it would withdraw its remaining troops from Yemen after Saudi Arabia endorsed a demand for their departure within 24 hours, highlighting one of the sharpest rifts between the two Gulf allies.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels ousted the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government of then-president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi in late 2014. The group remains the dominant military force in the country, controlling the capital Sanaa and Yemen’s northern highlands.

The STC, trained and equipped by the UAE, seeks secession for the southern part of Yemen, which was an independent state until unification with the north in 1990. A previous secession attempt in 1994 was foiled by then-President Ali Abdallah Saleh’s army. Tensions peaked in December 2025 when the group seized large parts of land in Hadramout and Al Mahra provinces and swept to the borders of Saudi Arabia.

(with inputs from agencies)

News world 7 Killed After Saudi-Led Coalition Launches Airstrikes On UAE-Backed Separatists In Yemen

Read More