The Saudi-backed Yemeni government on Friday launched a military operation against the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the southeastern oil-rich province of Hadramout, provincial Governor Salem Al-Khanbashi said.
In an address broadcast from Riyadh on state-run television, Al-Khanbashi said the operation aims to restore state authority and ensure security and stability in the province, particularly around key government institutions and strategic facilities.
He added that the move followed repeated attempts to contain tensions through dialogue, accusing STC-affiliated forces of “undermining local security arrangements and challenging the authority of the internationally recognized government.”
The governor emphasized that the operation should not be seen as a “war” or an escalation but as a “preventive security step” to neutralize weapons, prevent the use of camps to threaten Hadramout’s security, and protect the province from potential “chaos scenarios.”
A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said hundreds of vehicles and personnel of the Saudi-backed Yemeni National Shield Forces had departed positions near the Saudi border to participate in the operation. No details were provided on the scope of the operation or possible casualties. The STC has not yet responded to the announcement, though it previously said its forces remain on high combat readiness.
Hadramout, Yemen’s largest province and a key oil-producing region, has seen rising political and military tensions amid ongoing rivalry between the Saudi-backed government and the STC. Tensions escalated after the STC seized large areas of Hadramout and the eastern province of Al-Mahrah last month. Saudi Arabia considers these areas a “red line” due to their proximity to its border and concentration of Yemen’s remaining energy reserves.
Yemen has been in conflict since 2014, when Houthi forces captured Sanaa and large northern areas, prompting a Saudi-led coalition intervention in 2015. The UAE-sponsored STC, formed in 2017, seeks self-determination and eventual independence for southern Yemen. Despite joining the Saudi-led coalition and integrating into Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council in 2022, the STC continues to press for southern sovereignty, leading to recurring disputes over power-sharing and control of resources.
