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Yemen separatists travel to Saudi for talks as tensions ease

Saudi Arabia pairs recent military gains with dialogue efforts to ease southern Yemen tensions and reassert Gulf leadership.

A flag of the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) flutters on a military patrol truck, at the site of a rally by STC supporters in Aden, Yemen, January 1, 2026. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman

Welcome back to Al-Monitor Gulf.

This week, Saudi Arabia moved to contain a brief but sharp escalation in southern Yemen by pairing recent military gains with a renewed push for dialogue among southern factions. The shift follows tensions with the United Arab Emirates and reflects Riyadh’s effort to reassert political leadership and preserve Gulf coordination along the Red Sea-Gulf of Aden corridor.

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