Sharply contested dispute erupts in Aden’s Maashiq Palace, defense minister accused of conspiring against southern factions

ADEN, Oct. 22 (YPA) – Heated verbal altercations and sharp disputes broke out inside Maashiq Palace in the city of Aden between Defense Minister Taher Al-Oqaili of the Saudi-backed government and a number of his aides.

Southern media platforms reported that Assistant Defense Minister Mohammed Batis accused Al-Oqaili of treason and conspiring with Saudi leadership to exhaust and liquidate southern factions by deploying them alone into confrontations with Sanaa forces—particularly on the western fronts of Lahij. The altercation occurred during a meeting dedicated to discussing the advancement of Sanaa forces in Taiz and Lahj.

The meeting saw Al-Oqaili fail to calm the situation amid mutual recriminations and verbal sparring, following the minister’s accusation that some of his aides harbor loyalty to Aidarous Al-Zubaidi. The roots of the dispute trace back to Al-Oqaili reneging on commitments to arm and recruit approximately 2,000 personnel from Lahj and other southern governorates. These recruits had been assembled at the Al-Solban camp and Al-Anad air base without receiving their financial allowances required to deploy them toward Ras Al-Ara.

Sources attributed the retreat of Saudi-backed factions and the withdrawal of the “Al-Amaliqa” Brigades from their positions in Ras Al-Ara (west of Lahj) to Sanaa forces to field operational plans formulated by Al-Oqaili in coordination with Salafi commander Hamdi Shukri, commander of the so-called “Fourth Region” overseeing the theater of operations in Lahj and Taiz.

YPA