The flag of the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) flies on a military patrol truck at the site of a pro-STC rally in Aden, Yemen, January 1, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Fawaz Salman)
Flights were grounded on Thursday at Yemen's Aden International Airport, the main international gateway to parts of the country outside Houthi control.
The Saudi-backed governor of Hadhramaut in Yemen said on Friday that a “peace operation” would be launched to retake military positions captured by southern separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates.
Yemen's southern separatists, backed by the UAE, seized much of the country from its internationally recognized government last month, a move seen by Saudi Arabia as a threat.
This announcement appeared shortly after Saudi Arabia The ambassador to Yemen said Aidarous al-Zubaidi, leader of Yemen's UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, had yesterday denied permission for a plane carrying a Saudi delegation to Aden to land.
Zubaidi ordered the closure of air traffic at Aden airport, Ambassador Mohammed Al-Jaber added in a post on X/Twitter.
Flights were grounded on Thursday at Yemen's Aden International Airport, the main international gateway to the country's regions outside the country. Houthis control.
Damaged military vehicles believed to have been sent by the United Arab Emirates to support separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces following an air strike by the Saudi-led coalition in the port of Mukalla, southern Yemen, December 30, 2025. (Photo: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen continue to rise
Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia carried out airstrikes on vehicles they said were smuggled into the port of Mukalla from the United Arab Emirates.
Riyadh said recent gains by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen were approaching the red line in recent weeks. Saudi Arabia has called out the UAE by name in an unusual Gulf dispute.
The Gulf is generally conservative in its policies, and its countries are reluctant to argue. There are exceptions, such as when Riyadh led several countries in severing ties with Qatar in 2017.
Saudi Arabia supports Yemeni a government that is weak and does not control much of the country.
“In a region already teetering on the brink, the rapidly evolving situation in Yemen is alarming,” Arab News reported. “As international observers continue to focus on diplomacy and de-escalation, there is growing concern that the country may be inching closer to a dangerous regional conflict.
