Saudi Arabia Bombs Yemen Sepa 01/02 06:52

   

   ADEN, Yemen (AP) -- Saudi warplanes have reportedly struck on Friday forces 
in southern Yemen backed by the United Arab Emirates, a separatist leader says. 
There were no immediate reports of casualties.

   This comes as a Saudi-led operation attempts to take over camps of the 
Southern Transitional Council, or STC, in the governorate of Haramout that 
borders Saudi Arabia.

   Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE rose after the STC moved last 
month into Yemen's governorates of Hadramout and Mahra and seized an oil-rich 
region. The move pushed out forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed National 
Shield Forces, a group aligned with the coalition in fighting the Iran-backed 
Houthis in Yemen.

   Meanwhile, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen accused the head of the STC of 
blocking a Saudi mediation delegation from landing in the southern city of Aden.

   Strikes on Hamdrmout

   The STC deputy and former Hamdrmout governor, Ahmed bin Breik, said in a 
statement that the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces advanced toward the 
camps, but the separatists refused to withdraw, apparently leading to the 
airstrikes.

   Salem al-Khanbashi, the governor of Hadramout who was chosen Friday by 
Yemen's internationally recognized government to command the Saudi-led forces 
in the governorate, called the current operation "peaceful."

   "This operation is not a declaration of war and does not seek escalation," 
al-Khanbashi said in a speech aired on state media. "This is a responsible 
pre-emptive measure to remove weapons and prevent chaos and the camps from 
being used to undermine the security in Hadramout," he added.

   The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen demands the withdrawal of STC forces from 
the two governorates as part of de-escalation efforts. The STC has so far 
refused to hand over its weapons and camps.

   The coalition's spokesperson Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said Friday on X 
that Saudi-backed naval forces were deployed across the Arabian Sea to carry 
out inspections and combat smuggling.

   Escalating tensions

   In his post on X, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, said the 
kingdom had tried "all efforts with STC" for weeks "to stop the escalation" and 
to urge the separatists to leave Hadramout and Mahra, only to be faced with 
"continued intransigence and rejection from Aidarous al-Zubaidi," the STC head.

   Al-Jaber said the latest development was not permitting the Saudi 
delegation's jet to land in Aden, despite having agreed on its arrival with 
some STC leaders to find a solution that serves "everyone and the public 
interest."

   Yemen's transport ministry, aligned with STC, said Saudi Arabia imposed on 
Thursday requirements mandating that flights to and from Aden International 
Airport undergo inspection in Jeddah. The ministry expressed "shock" and 
denounced the decision. There was no confirmation from Saudi authorities.

   A spokesperson with the transport ministry told The Associated Press late 
Thursday that all flights from and to the UAE were suspended until Saudi Arabia 
reverses these reported measures.

   Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war for more than a decade, with the 
Houthis controlling much of the northern regions, while a Saudi-UAE-backed 
coalition supports the internationally recognized government in the south. 
However, the UAE also helps the southern separatists who call for South Yemen 
to secede once again from Yemen. Those aligned with the council have 
increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 
1967-1990.