Video captures moment Saudi forces take control of last STC stronghold
DHALEA, Jan. 28 (YPA) – Pro-Saudi armed factions announced On Tuesday that they had fully taken control of Dhalea city, the most prominent stronghold of the leaders of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which has since been dissolved.
Local sources familiar with the situation said that factions of the Dera al-Watan forces deployed widely across the city’s streets in military vehicles. Dhalea province is considered the stronghold of STC’s leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi, whose whereabouts remain unknown since Saudi aircraft began launching airstrikes on various areas of Dhalea in early January.
Sources explained that the deployment of the “Seventh Brigade of the National Shield,” led by Ali al-Shuteri, was carried out under the direction of Presidential Leadership Council, led by Rashad al-Alimi.
The operation aims to secure territorial control amid continued house arrest of southern leadership figures in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.
The sources added that the movement of the “Dera al-Watan forces” was accompanied by intensive and continuous reconnaissance flights over Dhalea’s airspace. They said that taking control of the city is part of broader efforts to end the STC’s military and political presence in Aden and other southern provinces, and to push its forces toward frontlines facing Sanaa’s forces.
These developments sparked angry reactions on social media from residents of Dhalea governorate. Many posts monitored by the agency warned that they “will not allow the imposition of a reality that does not represent them or respect their will at any cost,” and cautioned that the region could slide into armed escalation in response to the deployment.
The pro-Saudi takeover of Dhalea represented a major shift in the on-the-ground balance of military power. It strengthens al-Alimi’s influence in southern Yemen and reinforces Riyadh’s position following the dissolution of the STC, the merger of its factions, and the stripping of its leadership of any real authority on the ground.
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