“Southern Resistance” gives defense minister in Saudi-backed government 48 hours to leave Aden

ADEN, Feb. 17 (YPA) – Political and security tensions have surged abruptly in Aden city, southern Yemen, following a stern warning from the Commander of “the Southern Resistance,” Abdul Nasser Al-Yafei (Abu Hammam), directed at Defense Minister in the Saudi-backed government, Taher Al-Aqili, demanding his immediate departure from the city within 48 hours.

Al-Yafei threatened field escalation should Al-Aqili—who recently arrived at Ma’ashiq Palace—fail to comply. He further signaled a total rejection of the return of Presidential Leadership Council’s President, Rashad Al-Alimi, or any figures deemed hostile to the Southern cause, vowing, “You shall not pass, whatever the cost.”

In a parallel move to reorganize ranks, Al-Yafei announced on Tuesday the inauguration of the “Free National Bloc for the Southern Resistance” under his leadership. He described Aden as a “erupting volcano” standing against projects targeting “the Southern movement.”

This military and political maneuver comes amid lingering ambiguity surrounding the leadership of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) following recent Saudi measures, leaving the city’s security landscape open to all possibilities in the coming days.

This move comes one month after Saudi Arabia’s decision to dissolve the UAE-backed STC, dismiss its president, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, from the “Leadership Council,” and target his hometown in Dhalea with a number of airstrikes at the beginning of last January. His whereabouts remain unknown to this day, amid Saudi assurances that al-Zubaidi managed to escape by sea to Somalia, from where he was airlifted to Abu Dhabi.

YPA