Forces backed by Saudi Arabia take over area held by southern separatists in Yemen

Описание: (3 Jan 2026)
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RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Seiyun, Yemen - 3 January 2026
1. Wide of Homeland Shield Forces, affiliated with the internationally recognized government and supported by Saudi Arabia, at the entrance of the First Military Region Command in the city of Seiyun in Hadramout Governorate
2. Wide of SUVs carrying fighters who are holding rifles, fighters flashing victory sign
3. Various of burned armored car
4. Various of Homeland Shield Forces huddled, and driving in SUVs
STORYLINE:
Forces backed by Saudi Arabia in Yemen carried out operations for a second day running aimed at taking control of positions held by southern separatist authorities, backed by the United Arab Emirates, as tensions between the two former allies continued to roil the war-torn country.

As part of the operations in Hadramout province, which borders Saudi Arabia, the forces entered in Seiyun city and retook the international airport and key state institutions, according to reports on the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya satellite TV channel.

The United Arab Emirates said early Saturday it had withdrawn all its troops from Yemen, following days of carrying out military airlifts following an order to withdraw by anti-Houthi forces, as Saudi Arabia and others objected to the separatists' advance.

Since 2014, Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war pitting the Iranian-backed Houthis against an internationally recognized government, which is supported by a Saudi-led military coalition.

The separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the south is part of the anti-Houthi camp, but it seeks an independent state in southern Yemen.

The STC — an umbrella of armed groups trained and financed by the UAE — expanded its control over Yemen’s south earlier this month, moving into Yemen’s governorates of Hadramout and Mahra and seizing an oil-rich region.

That pushed out allies of the Saudi-supported National Shield forces, a group in the coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The tensions in Yemen have further strained ties between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, neighbors on the Arabian Peninsula that increasingly have competed over economic issues and regional politics, particularly in the Red Sea area.

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