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Accusations against separatists in southern Yemen saudi arabia The targeting of his forces with airstrikes came to light on Friday, which the kingdom did not formally acknowledge, as it warned forces to withdraw from governorates they had recently captured.
Southern Transitional Council, supported by united arab emiratesSaid that the attacks took place in Yemen’s Hadramaut Governorate. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties from the attacks, which heightened tensions in the war-torn nation and threatened the fragile Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed coalition. Houthi Rebellion in the north of the country for a decade.
Amr al-Biedh, the council’s special representative for foreign affairs, said in a statement to The Associated Press that his fighters were operating in eastern Hadramout on Friday after encountering “several ambushes” by gunmen. Those attacks killed two council fighters and wounded 12 others, al-Bidh said.
He said, this was followed by Saudi air strikes.
The Council later described its operations in the area as a search for a wanted man and an attempt to stop trafficking through the area.
Saudi warnings before attacks
Faiz bin Omar, a leading member of the coalition of tribes in Hadramaut, told the AP he believed the attacks had warned the council to withdraw its fighters from the area. Ahmed al-Kheid, an eyewitness to the attacks, said he later saw destroyed military vehicles believed to have belonged to council-affiliated forces.
The council’s satellite channel AIC broadcast mobile phone footage it said showed the attacks. In a video, a man can be heard accusing the Saudi plane of being attacked.
Saudi Arabian officials did not respond to AP’s request for comment. However, the Saudi-owned, London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported late Friday, citing “informed sources,” that the kingdom carried out the strikes “to send a message” to the council.
“Any further increase will be dealt with with strict measures,” the newspaper said.
On Thursday, the kingdom called on Emirate-backed separatists in southern Yemen to withdraw.
The council moved to Yemen’s Hadramaut and Mahra governorates earlier this month. It had driven out forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, another coalition group fighting the Houthis.
Those associated with the council have increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 1967-1990. Protesters rallied in the southern port city on Thursday aden Supporting political forces calling for the re-secession of South Yemen from Yemen.
Saudis, Emiratis support separate Yemen armies
After the Houthis captured Yemen’s capital Sanaa and much of the country’s north in 2014, Aden has become the seat of power for the internationally recognized government and forces aligned against the rebels.
The separatists’ actions have strained relations between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which maintain close ties and are members of the OPEC oil cartel but have also competed for influence and international trade in recent years.
The UAE said in a statement on Friday that it welcomes efforts by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support security and stability in Yemen.
“The UAE reaffirms its firm commitment to support all efforts aimed at strengthening stability and development in Yemen, and contributing positively to regional security and prosperity,” it added.
Violence has also increased in another country Sudan red seaWhere states and emirates support opposing forces in the war going on in that country.
war in yemen
The Iran-backed Houthis captured Sanaa in September 2014 and forced the internationally recognized government into exile. Iran denies supplying arms to the rebels, although Iranian-made weapons have been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments headed to Yemen despite a UN arms embargo.
The Saudi-led coalition, armed with American weapons and intelligence, entered the war in March 2015 on the side of Yemen’s exiled government. Years of inconclusive fighting have pushed the Arab world’s poorest country to the brink of famine.
The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing thousands.
Meanwhile, the Houthis have attacked hundreds of ships in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war, disrupting regional shipping.
Further chaos in Yemen could again attract the United States.
Washington launched an intensive bombing campaign targeting the rebels earlier this year that US President Donald Trump halted just ahead of his visit to the Middle East in October. The Biden administration also launched strikes against the Houthis, including using B-2 bombers to target underground bunkers used by the Houthis.
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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.