Saudi Arabia launches Hadramout offensive as Gulf rivalry haunts Yemen

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government launched an operation on Friday to retake military positions from UAE-backed southern separatists, reclaiming one of the largest camps in Hadramout province. The move marks the latest escalation in a widening rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which back opposing sides in Yemen, and comes as airstrikes and clashes intensify in the region.

What happened: The Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting the Houthi rebels launched several airstrikes in al-Khashaa, in the Hura district, targeting key military positions of the Southern Transitional Council, including the camp of the 37th Armored Brigade. Mohammed Abdulmalik, head of the STC in Wadi Hadramout and the Hadramout Desert, told AFP on Friday that seven airstrikes had hit the camp in al-Khashaa, killing seven people and injuring 20 others.

The strikes coincided with clashes between the National Shield Forces, paramilitaries aligned with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, and the STC in al-Khashaa, including on Al-Abr highway, linking the province to Saudi Arabia via Al-Wadiah border crossing, according to several local media reports. Casualties were reported on both ranks.

STC leaders said they were bolstering their forces in response to the strikes. Abdulmalik later told Al Jazeera that a large number of troops had arrived in Hadramout from neighboring Marib province to support the STC. “We are ready for confrontation,” he was quoted as saying.