Battles, airstrikes in Hadramout, as Saudi-UAE confrontation reaches its peak
HADRAMOUT, Jan. 02 (YPA) – The Yemeni provinces under the control of the Saudi-led coalition, specifically Hadramout in the eastern part of the country, are witnessing an unprecedented escalation in the conflict and confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
This has manifested on the ground through armed clashes between the “Dera Al-Watan” forces—a military faction backed by Saudi Arabia—and the “Southern Transitional Council” (STC) forces backed by the UAE, alongside airstrikes launched by Saudi fighter jets against STC positions.
In the latest developments, violent clashes broke out between the pro-Saudi Dera Al-Watan forces and the UAE-backed STC inside the Al-Khasha’a camp in Hadramout valley. These clashes coincided with airstrikes targeting STC positions in the vicinity of the camp amid intensive overflights by Saudi warplanes.
Later, the appointed Governor of Hadramout—recently designated as the commander of the Dera Al-Watan forces by the head of the pro-coalition Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi—announced that the Dera Al-Watan forces had seized control of the 37th Brigade camp in Al-Khasha’a, the largest military base in the province.
In the same context, media sources reported the movement of military reinforcements belonging to the Dera Al-Watan forces from the Al-Ruwaik area in Marib province toward the Al-Abr district. This step is interpreted as a move to expand the scope of control over military camps located in the areas of Al-Abr, Thamud, Ramah, and Al-Khasha’a.
According to observers, today’s events at the Al-Khasha’a camp are a swift response and a declaration of rejection by the STC toward Al-Khanbashi’s announcement of what he termed a military operation aimed at taking over camps currently controlled by STC forces within Hadramout.
Furthermore, Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Jaber, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, confirmed that the STC’s President, Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, “refuses calls for the withdrawal of STC forces from Hadramout.”
Al-Jaber stated that Al-Zubaidi had refused to grant landing permission for a plane carrying an official Saudi delegation to Aden and issued directives to close Aden Airport.
These developments signal further escalation between Saudi Arabia and the UAE during the coming hours.
YPA