Saudi committee summons Dera al-Watan commander in Aden

ADEN, July 11 (YPA) – The Saudi Special Committee has urgently summoned Bassam al-Mahdhar, commander of the Saudi-backed Dera al-Watan forces in Aden, to Riyadh over allegations of facilitating the entry of armed tribal groups affiliated with the dissolved Southern Transitional Council (STC) into the city.

The Saudi military command in Aden issued a decision appointing Salafist figure Abdul Rahman al-Lahji as commander of Dera al-Watan forces, replacing al-Mahdhar.

The move followed the large-scale deployment of armed tribal groups from Radfan, Al-Subayha of Lahj, and Dhalea in the Aden’s Khor-Maksar district parade area, amid concerns over a potential disruption of security arrangements in Aden.

Local sources said that hundreds of armed STC-affiliated tribal fighters remain positioned across several neighborhoods in Aden.

They added that al-Lahji’s appointment comes after his resignation from the Homeland Shield leadership in May, reportedly due to a lack of confidence in commanders previously aligned with the UAE before January.

The developments have triggered criticism of Saudi-led security arrangements in Aden since January. Journalist Fathi bin Lazraq described the situation as “mountains of illusion,” arguing that the fragile security conditions in the city expose the weakness of existing field preparations in dealing with recent tribal mobilizations and could leave Aden vulnerable to further security disruptions.

Al-Lahji, who was appointed by Saudi Arabia to replace al-Mahdhar, had previously been linked before the Yemen war to a militant figure in Al-Mansoura district. He was later recruited by the UAE and appointed to a leadership role within the Al-Amaliqa Brigades.

AA