Listen to this articleA video grab taken from images released by Aden Independent Channel (AIC TV) shows the moment a strike hits the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces in Seiyun, in Hadramawt province of Yemen. (Photo: AFP)MUKALLA, Yemen - Saudi-backed troops on Saturday made advances in Yemen’s resource-rich Hadramawt province, military officials said, as confrontations between forces backed by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have triggered a deep rift between the two Gulf allies. But the recent offensive by the UAE-backed secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) to capture Hadramawt angered Riyadh and left the oil-rich regional powers on a collision course. Saudi Arabia on Saturday called for dialogue between factions in southern Yemen. But he warned that the group would declare independence “immediately” if there was no dialogue or if southern Yemen was attacked again.

Source: Bangkok Post January 03, 2026 14:06 UTC