Riyadh deploys thousands of troops as STC holds strategic sites in Hadramout
HADRAMOUT, Dec. 20 (YPA) – Saudi-led forces are mobilizing thousands of recruits from the “Dera Al-Watan” toward Al-Abr district in Hadramout province, amid rising tensions following the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council’s (STC) takeover of oil-rich districts in Wadi Hadramout earlier this month.
According to The Guardian, as many as 20,000 Saudi-backed forces are gathering on the border of Yemen near Al-Khasha and 37th Armored Brigade’s sites, which are still held by the STC forces, after peaceful attempts to resolve the standoff failed.
Sources familiar with the matter reported that the Saudi authorities have also called in loyal officers from the Najran front to assume new military roles and leadership positions as part of accelerated reinforcements overseen by commanders in the Najran axis.
These intensive movements come after forces that left the First Military Region camps in Seiyun, under the supervision of Chief of Staff Saghir bin Aziz, were regrouped at the strategic Al-Ruwaik camp, located about 60 km north of Safer toward Al-Abr, amid reports of unprecedented military preparations at the camp to launch an operation against the STC forces in Wadi Hadramout if they fail to withdraw.
Observers warn that Saudi-backed forces may launch a military operation against the STC in Wadi Hadramout, particularly after an “Al-Amaliqa” vehicle in Al-Khashm al-Ain district was struck by a Saudi drone on Friday, injuring one recruit, amid ongoing Saudi air force sorties accompanying the deployment of the Saudi-backed forces in Al-Abr.
The UAE-backed STC forces refuse to vacate strategic sites in Wadi Hadramout, raising the risk of armed clashes between the two sides, including Salafi extremist elements.
Saudi Arabia’s intensified military deployments in Wadi Hadramout underscore the strategic importance of the region and the pressure on UAE-backed STC forces to withdraw. Riyadh appears to face two options: a peaceful STC withdrawal or a military operation to restore its influence. The Wadi districts are now on the brink of armed clashes, as they are seen as defying Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad al-Alimi, who has been campaigning against the STC before EU and US ambassadors and the Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General.
Last year, UN Secretary-General António Guterres also criticized the STC’s unilateral measures, stating they would not pave the way for peace.
@E.Y.M