Yemen’s internationally recognised, Saudi-backed government has launched an operation aimed at reclaiming military positions from the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, sharply escalating tensions in the country’s east and exposing deepening rifts within the anti-Houthi coalition. The move, announced on Friday by the Saudi-backed governor of Hadramout province, was framed as a limited and “peaceful” effort to restore order. Within minutes, however, the STC said Saudi airstrikes had begun, underscoring how quickly political declarations are translating into military confrontation on the ground.

The operation marks the latest phase in a standoff that has been building since December, when the STC expanded its military footprint across large parts of southern Yemen. While both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened together in Yemen in 2015, their competing interests have increasingly diverged, with Hadramout and al-Mahra emerging as strategic fault lines bordering Saudi territory.

“Not a Declaration of War”

In a televised address, Hadramout Governor Salem Ahmed Saeed al-Khunbashi said the government had appointed him overall commander of the Homeland Shield forces in the province, granting him full military, security and administrative authority. “This is not a declaration of war,” he said, adding that the operation aimed to prevent armed camps from threatening security and to stop Hadramout from “sliding into chaos.” The government said the move was designed to reassert state authority over sensitive military sites.

The STC rejected that account. Amr Al Bidh, a senior STC official, told Reuters that the operation was never intended to be peaceful. “Saudi Arabia knowingly misled the international community by announcing a peaceful operation that they never had any intention to keep peaceful,” he said. “This was evidenced by the fact that they launched seven airstrikes minutes later.” Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the strikes.

Military Sites and Air Power

According to Bidh, three of the seven airstrikes hit the al-Khash’a military camp, one of the largest facilities in Hadramout, with capacity to house thousands of troops. Three Yemeni sources told Reuters that armored vehicles belonging to Saudi-backed government forces were moving toward the camp, which the STC seized in December. STC spokesperson Mohammed al-Naqeeb said forces across the region were on full alert and warned that the group was ready to respond “forcefully.”

The UAE backs the STC politically and militarily, while Saudi Arabia supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government. The confrontation reflects a broader struggle over who controls Yemen’s southern and eastern provinces, areas far from the main Houthi front lines but critical for borders, ports and energy infrastructure.

Aden Airport and Gulf Fallout

The military escalation has coincided with a parallel crisis over Aden International Airport, Yemen’s main gateway outside Houthi control. Flights remained halted on Friday after Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al-Jaber, accused STC leader Aidarus al-Zubaidi of blocking a plane carrying a Saudi delegation from landing on Thursday. Al-Jaber said Riyadh had spent weeks trying to de-escalate but faced “continuous rejection and stubbornness.”

The STC-controlled Transport Ministry countered that Saudi Arabia had imposed an air blockade by requiring all flights to undergo additional checks via Saudi territory. The dispute follows the UAE’s announcement last week that it would withdraw its remaining forces from Yemen, after Saudi Arabia backed a demand for their departure within 24 hours. While that move briefly eased tensions, the current fighting shows disagreements among local allies persist.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both key OPEC members, now face a rare public confrontation that carries implications beyond Yemen. With OPEC+ members meeting online on Sunday and expected to maintain first-quarter output levels, the Yemen escalation highlights how geopolitical rivalry can spill into both security and economic coordination.