• 20 fighters of the Southern Transitional Council killed as Saudi-backed forces carry out airstrikes
• ‘South Yemen’ resurgence feared as separatists announce move towards ‘independent state’
• UAE says its forces have pulled out, seeks de-escalation
• Islamabad ‘ready to play its role’, continues to urge diplomatic solution to crisis

DUBAI / MUKALLA: The internationally recognised Saudi-backed government of Yemen on Friday launched an operation to oust the forces of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) — who have taken over large swaths of territory in recent weeks.

The offensive came as separatists based in the south of Yemen announced the start of a two-year transitional period towards declaring an independent state, reigniting fears that the country may be split in two again.

In a statement, Aden said it had instructed the governor of Yemen’s Hadramaut province to take control of ‘Homeland Shield’ forces, granting him full military, security and administrative authority in what it said was a move to restore security and order.

In an address on Yemen TV, Governor Salem Ahmed Saeed al-Khunbashi said the operation was to be peaceful and was not a declaration of war. He said it was meant to prevent the use of camps to threaten security and to protect Hadramaut from sliding into chaos.

He later said his forces had taken control of a military camp in al-Khasha’a, the largest and most important base in the province.

The oil-producing Hadramaut province borders Saudi Arabia and many prominent Saudis trace their origins to it, lending it cultural and historical significance for the kingdom.

STC forces grabbed much of resource-rich Hadramaut and neighbouring Mahra province on the Omani frontier, in a largely unopposed advance last month.

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen blamed STC leader Aidarus Al-Zubaidi for refusing to grant landing permission the previous day for a plane carrying a Saudi delegation to Aden.

“For several weeks and until yesterday, the Kingdom sought to make all efforts with the Southern Transitional Council to end the escalation ... but it faced continuous rejection and stubbornness from Aidarus Al-Zubaidi,” the Saudi ambassador, Mohammed Al-Jaber, said on X.

Zubaidi issued directives to close air traffic at Aden’s airport on Thursday, the ambassador added, saying that a plane carrying a Saudi delegation to Aden aiming to find solutions to the crisis was denied permission to land.

A halt in flights at Aden international airport on Thursday continued into Friday as both sides traded blame as to who was responsible for the air traffic shutdown.

According to the Flightradar24 tracking website, no planes have taken off or landed at Aden airport for more than 24 hours, although the ministry did not officially announce its closure.

Airstrikes

The announcement of the operation was followed by airstrikes on key STC positions. At least 20 fighters were reportedly killed and 20 wounded in airstrikes on the airport and military bases in Hadramaut’s Seiyun city.

Saudi sources confirmed the air strikes were carried out by the Saudi-led coalition, adding that the action would continue until the STC withdraws from the Hadramaut and Mahra governorates.

A military spokesman for the STC said it was in a “decisive and existential” war with Yemeni forces.

Meanwhile, after the strikes on Friday, the UAE said that the last of its forces had left Yemen, as the country sought de-escalation of rising tensions in the Arabian Peninsula.

“The UAE concluded the presence of its counterterrorism forces,” a government official said, adding Abu Dhabi “remains committed to dialogue, de-escalation, and internationally supported processes as the only sustainable path to peace”.

‘Transition to independence’

The STC’s advance has raised the possibility that South Yemen, a separate state from 1967 to 1990, might declare independence, while dealing a hammer blow to slow-moving peace negotiations with the Houthi rebels in Sanaa.

In a surprise announcement on Friday, the STC president Aidaros Alzubidi announced a two-year transition to an independent state, and said that the transitional phase would include dialogue with the Houthis in the north.

He also warned the group would declare independence “immediately” if there was no dialogue or if southern Yemen again came under attack.

“We announce the commencement of a transitional phase lasting two years, and the Council calls on the international community to sponsor dialogue between the concerned parties in the South and the North,” Alzubidi said in a televised address.

“This constitutional declaration shall be considered immediately and directly effective before that date if the call is not heeded or if the people of the South, their land, or their forces are subjected to any military attacks,” he added.

Diplomacy, dialogue urged

Alarmed over the tensions between its two main allies in the Gulf region, Pakistan’s Foreign Office continued to urge resolution of the situation in Yemen through dialogue and diplomacy.

In a statement issued on Friday, FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said that Pakistan was committed to the “unity and territorial integrity of Yemen”.

Islamabad “hopes that the positive steps undertaken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates contribute towards peaceful resolution of the issue,” he said.

In his remarks, the spokesperson highlighted “the wisdom and far-sightedness” shown by the leadership of the two countries in addressing the situation in Yemen.

“Such efforts reflect a common desire for regional peace and stability by the two brotherly countries,” he said, adding: “Pakistan remains ready to play its positive role in strengthening the values of partnership, brotherhood and unity for lasting peace and stability in the region”.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2026