20 killed as Saudi airstrikes hit UAE-backed STC in Yemen

Saudi Arabia signalled a sharp escalation in Yemen on Friday by launching air strikes against forces of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the country’s south, killing at least 20 people.

The strikes came shortly after the Saudi-backed Yemeni government gave the UAE a 24-hour ultimatum to withdraw from Yemen, highlighting rare tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.

According to AFP, Saudi fighter jets hit the Al-Khasah camp in Hadramawt, with STC official Mohammed Abdulmalik saying seven strikes killed 20 people and wounded more than 20 others. Additional raids targeted nearby locations. Days earlier, Saudi Arabia had bombed the port city of Mukalla, claiming the UAE was supplying weapons and armoured vehicles to the STC, an allegation Abu Dhabi denied.

While Saudi Arabia supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government led by President Rashad al-Alimi, the UAE has backed the STC, which seeks independence for southern Yemen. The STC recently took control of large areas of Hadramawt and neighbouring Mahra, moves Riyadh views as a direct threat to its security.

The air strikes followed a Saudi-led push by National Shield Forces to take over military sites in Hadramawt. STC leaders accused Riyadh of waging a large-scale assault and compared the situation to Yemen’s 1994 civil war.