Saudi Arabia restricts Tariq Saleh’s movement in Riyadh, pledges to cover faction salaries

RIYADH, Feb. 02 (YPA) – Identical political and media sources have revealed that Saudi authorities thwarted an attempt by “Tariq Saleh” to leave the capital, Riyadh, for the city of Mocha, amid escalating tensions among factions in western Taiz governorate.

Despite Saleh’s repeated efforts to justify his departure—citing the need to inaugurate the “new training year” for his troops and to stabilize internal unrest caused by funding shortages—Saudi authorities remained firm in their refusal. Instead, they permitted him only a “video conference” with his field commanders. During the call, Saleh reassured his factions regarding the salary crisis, stating that Saudi Arabia has committed to covering the payrolls previously funded by the UAE through the end of 2025.

These developments follow Saudi Arabia’s decisive move to terminate the UAE’s mission within the Saudi-led Coalition last December. This shift was triggered by the expansion of UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) factions into the Hadramout and Mahra governorates, eastern Yemen, where they seized camps in the First Military Region and advanced toward the Al-Abr border area.

The Saudi response to these maneuvers has been marked by significant military and political pressure, which included Saudi airstrikes targeted pro-UAE factions following their refusal to withdraw from Hadramout and Mahra, resulting in approximately 600 dead or missing.

Further strikes targeted the birthplace of the head of the dissolved STC, “Aidarus al-Zoubaidi,” in Dhalea governorate after his refusal to report to Riyadh. Consequently, Al-Zoubaidi fled Aden by sea on January 7, eventually reaching Somalia before being airlifted to Abu Dhabi.

YPA