The Saudi-backed governor of Yemen's Hadhramaut province announced the start of a "peaceful operation" to reclaim military positions controlled by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council. At the same time, he emphasized that these actions do not constitute a declaration of war. This is reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
The Saudi-backed Yemeni government announced on Friday that it had appointed Hadhramaut Governor Salem Ahmed Said al-Khunbashi as the overall commander of the "Homeland Shield" forces in the eastern province, granting him full military, security, and administrative authority, which it said was a step to restore security and order. The statement said the operation was aimed only at military targets and "is not a declaration of war."
These events marked another escalation amid a rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have been backing opposing sides in Yemen since December.
For several weeks and until yesterday, the Kingdom tried to make every effort with the Southern Transitional Council to stop the escalation, but faced constant rejection and stubbornness from Aidarous al-Zubaidi.
According to him, it was al-Zubaidi who issued directives to close air traffic at the airport. At the same time, the STC-controlled Ministry of Transport accused Saudi Arabia of imposing an air blockade and stated that Riyadh demands all flights to pass through its territory for additional checks.
Recall
Separatists in southern Yemen accused Saudi Arabia of airstrikes on their forces in Hadhramaut after a warning about troop withdrawal. This exacerbates the situation in the country and jeopardizes the coalition fighting the Houthis.
It was also reported that Aden International Airport - Yemen's main air gateway - suspended operations due to a dispute between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over flight restrictions. This happened amid the biggest crisis in relations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in a decade.