Saudi-led coalition strikes Yemen after STC leader flees
The Saudi Arabia-led coalition has carried out air strikes in southern Yemen, saying it targeted secessionist forces after the leader of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) fled hours before scheduled talks in Riyadh.
In a statement released early Wednesday, the coalition said STC chief Aidarous al-Zubaidi was due to depart Aden on Tuesday night for negotiations aimed at ending clashes between his group and Yemen’s internationally recognised government. However, he did not board the plane and instead fled to an unknown location, according to the coalition, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
The coalition said it later received intelligence that al-Zubaidi had mobilised a large force, including armoured vehicles and heavy and light weapons, which left Aden around midnight and moved towards Dhale governorate. “Pre-emptive strikes” were launched at around 4am local time to disable the forces and prevent what it described as an attempt to escalate the conflict.
There was no immediate response from the STC, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates and has been seeking an independent state in southern Yemen. The group had previously aligned with the Saudi-backed government against the Houthi movement but launched a new offensive in December, seizing large parts of the south, including Hadramout and Mahra provinces.
Riyadh responded late last month with air strikes on the port city of Mukalla and supported calls for Emirati forces to withdraw from Yemen. Abu Dhabi denied involvement in weapons transfers and later announced an end to its “counterterrorism mission” in the country.
Saudi-backed government forces have since retaken Hadramout and Mahra. The coalition said an STC delegation, excluding al-Zubaidi, departed for talks in Riyadh early Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, announced that al-Zubaidi had been removed from the council on charges of high treason and said legal action would be pursued against him.
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