Politics Saudi Arabia reportedly bombed targets in eastern Yemen
According to the separatists, Saudi Arabia has begun air strikes in eastern Yemen. The local television station Aden Independent TV, which is affiliated with the so-called STC, reported that the Saudi air force had bombed separatist positions. Saudi Arabia did not comment on the alleged attacks.
26.12.2025, 11:25
SDA
Eyewitnesses shared videos on social media showing airstrikes on separatist positions in the oil-rich province of Hadramaut. Local sources there also reported dozens of casualties in the ranks of the STC following battles with tribal groups. Aden Independent TV initially reported two dead and twelve injured.
Saudi Arabia began launching airstrikes in Yemen in 2015 to support the local government and push back the Iran-backed Houthi militia. However, Riyadh is looking for a way out of the conflict and the last bombings were years ago. Attacks on targets of the separatists, who are actually partners in the fight against the Houthis, would be a surprising turn of events and a new level of escalation.
Saudi Arabia under increasing pressure in Yemen
The separatists in the south call themselves the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and are supported by the United Arab Emirates. They have recently taken over large areas in the provinces of Hadramaut and al-Mahra, which together make up around half of the country's territory. The fact that they are turning against the government troops is also putting pressure on Saudi Arabia, which wants to maintain and strengthen the government.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry described the STC's latest offensive as an "unjustified escalation". Riyadh hoped that the separatists would withdraw their troops from the two provinces "immediately and in an orderly manner". Otherwise there would be "undesirable consequences". They are working with the United Arab Emirates to bring the situation under control.
Despite years of alliance, the separatists have repeatedly resisted the government taking over larger areas in the south. They are striving for renewed secession from the north. Yemen was already divided between 1967 and until reunification in 1990.
For the past decade, the civil war in Yemen has mainly been between the Houthi militia, which overran the north including the capital Sanaa, and the government and its allies in Riyadh. All efforts to find a political solution, for example through mediation in Oman and United Nations initiatives, have failed.
