UAE-funded STC carries out exclusion campaign against southern leaders

Last updated Dec 13, 2025 10:49 PM

ADEN, Dec. 14 (YPA) – The UAE=backed Southern Transitional Council (STC)’s factions carried out on Saturday a large-scale exclusion campaign targeting a number of military leaders from the southern and eastern provinces of Yemen.

The STC collectively overthrew the commanders of the brigades and their staffs, as well as the commanders of the military battalions in the Islah-run first military zone in the Hadramout and the Al-Ghaydah military axis in Mahra, after taking control of the camps and sites of the region last week without significant confrontations.

These measures, carried out by the STC leaders coming from the provinces of Dhalea, Lahj, led to the removal of the actual military control of those leaders from the camps of the first military region, while new leaders were appointed from the cadres sent specifically to Hadramout and Mahra last week.

Meanwhile, the so-called “staff” of the Ministry of defense in the government of the coalition, headed by Saghir bin Aziz, who is in the city of Marib, announced on Friday that 32 officers and soldiers were killed and 45 others from the elements of the first zone were injured, including prisoners.

In the same context, the Saudi-affiliated “Hadramout Tribal Alliance” accused the STC elements of kidnapping a number of wounded recruits loyal to the Alliance from inside the hospitals of the city of Mukalla and taking them to an unknown destination.

Southern observers believe that the main goal of the invasion of the pro-UAE STC factions of the Hadramout and Mahra was to re-establish control over the oil fields, in order to serve the American-Zionist project in the region, according to Israeli experts praised the STC operation in controlling Yemen’s oil reserves.

Many believe that the United States and the Israeli occupation are working to resume the war against the Sanaa-based government by empowering the factions loyal to the UAE, after the latter pledged its readiness to fight the war, provided that any other forces are withdrawn from the southern and eastern regions of Yemen.

On the other hand, the Israeli expert, Avi Avidan, considered the STC’s takeover Hadramout and Mahra, part of a genius created by the UAE with a strategy of pincers with “Israel”, aiming to outdo the Houthis at every turn.

He pointed out that this strategy includes joint intelligence centers between the UAE and Israel, starting from the strategic island of Socotra, which contains joint intelligence centers located in Aden, up to the vast area of Hadramout.