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| Latest Battlefield Situation After the UAE’s Withdrawal Announcement |
| 2026-01-03 |
| Friday 2 January 2026 - 12:10 [ISWnews] The UAE’s exit from Yemen as the second key member of the Saudi-led coalition signals the failure of the coalition’s military strategy and a further shift in the balance of power toward Ansar Allah. This move weakens the exiled government and intensifies internal clashes between the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and Saudi-backed factions in southern and eastern Yemen — and could push southern groups toward declaring secession and courting new foreign sponsors.According to the latest reports on Yemen’s fronts — broken down by military zones and provinces — the situation is as follows: HADHRAMAUT & AL-MAHRA FRONTS: In Hadhramaut, the front lines in the north remain unchanged, with Al-Khasha‘a serving as the main contact line. The cities of Al-Qatn, Tarim, and Seiyun in Wadi Hadhramaut are still under southern control. Al-Dara‘ Al-Watani (National Shield) forces have redeployed to Ramah and Thamud in the northeastern desert and taken positions along the Yemen–Saudi border, likely preparing to move toward Al-Sawm on the eastern side of Wadi Hadhramaut. Fighting continues between the UAE-backed Hadhrami Elite forces and tribal fighters from the Hadhramaut Tribal Council around Ghayl Bin Yamin, as well as in Wadi Khard and Al-Ays on the Hadhramaut coast. Recently, tribal fighters retook the Nohub base and pushed STC forces back from the outskirts of Wadi Khard and Al-Ays.In Al-Mahra, Major General Barjash — commander of the 2nd Military Region — reaffirmed his support for the STC and declared he will not hand over his positions to National Shield forces backed by Saudi Arabia. He also urged civilians to stay away from military sites and installations. More at the link More:
Text: Governor of Hadhramaut: After taking control of the Al-Khasha camp, we are now advancing towards the city of Seiyun. Saudi jets strike UAE-backed separatists in Yemen; Abu Dhabi says its forces have withdrawn [IsraelTimes] 7 separatist fighters said killed; UAE says it seeks de-escalation as Riyadh, Abu Dhabi jostle for power in government-run areas after forming coalition against Iran-backed Houthis Airstrikes killed seven separatist fighters in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... on Friday, an official with the group said, as a Saudi-led coalition hit back against a sweeping advance by the UAE-backed Southern Transition Council and Abu Dhabi called for calm. The deaths are the first from coalition fire since the secessionist STC seized swathes of Hadramawt and Mahra provinces last month. Other strikes hit the airport and military base in Hadramawt’s Seiyun city on Friday, an STC source and witnesses said. A military front man for the STC said it was in a "decisive and existential" war with Saudi-backed Yemeni forces, characterizing it as a fight against radical Islamism — a longtime preoccupation of the UAE. Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... and the UAE have for years supported rival factions in Yemen’s government-run territories, but the STC’s offensive has angered Riyadh and left the oil-rich Gulf powers at loggerheads. The UAE said after the strikes on Friday that it sought de-escalation and that its last forces had left Yemen. "The UAE concluded the presence of its counterterrorism forces," a government official said, adding Abu Dhabi "remains committed to dialogue, de-escalation and internationally supported processes as the only sustainable path to peace." Mohammed Abdulmalik, head of the STC in Wadi Hadramaut and Hadramaut Desert, said seven ... KABOOM!... s earlier hit the al-Khasha camp, killing seven and wounding more than 20. Further strikes targeted other sites in the same region, he added. At Seiyun, the major city seized at the start of the separatists’ campaign, air strikes rocked the airport and military base, an STC military source and separate eyewitnesses told AFP. The air raids came shortly after pro-Saudi forces launched a campaign to "peacefully" take control of military sites in Hadramawt. "This operation is not a declaration of war," Hadramawt governor Salem al-Khanbashi, also leader of the province’s Saudi-backed local forces, was quoted as saying by the Saba Net news agency. "This operation does not target any political or social group," he said, adding that it "aims to peacefully and systematically hand over military sites." Saudi sources confirmed the airstrikes were carried out by the Saudi-led coalition, which also nominally includes the UAE and was formed in 2015 to fight the Iran-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the JewsThey like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... rebels in Yemen’s north. A source close to the Saudi military warned: "It will not stop until the Southern Transitional Council withdraws from the two governorates." The STC seized much of resource-rich Hadramawt, bordering Saudi Arabia, and neighboring Mahra on the Omani frontier last month. RIVAL FACTIONS Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are rival powerbrokers in Yemen’s government-run areas. The wealthy Gulf powers formed the backbone of the military coalition aimed at dislodging the Houthis, who forced the government from the capital Sanaa in 2014 and seized Yemen’s most populated areas. But after a brutal, decade-long civil war, the Houthis remain in place and the Saudis and Emiratis are backing different factions in the government-held territories. Amr Al Bidh, foreign affairs representative for the STC, accused Riyadh of having "knowingly misled the international community by announcing a ’peaceful operation’ that they never had any intention to keep peaceful". "This was evidenced by the fact that they launched 7 airstrikes minutes later," he posted on X. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly urged the STC to withdraw from the recently conquered territories. The UAE had first announced its intention to withdraw its remaining troops in Yemen after the Saudi-led coalition bombed an alleged Emirati weapons shipment on Tuesday. FLIGHTS GROUNDED The Yemeni government comprises a fractious coalition of groups, including the STC, united by their opposition to the Houthis. The STC’s advance has raised the possibility that South Yemen, a separate state from 1967 to 1990, might declare independence, while dealing a hammer blow to slow-moving peace negotiations with the Houthis. Also on Friday, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jabir, said the STC had blocked a Saudi delegation from landing at Aden airport, accusing the group of "intransigence." On Thursday, Yemen’s STC-controlled transport ministry denounced a Saudi demand that all planes to and from the UAE make a stop in Saudi Arabia for security checks. According to the Flightradar24 tracking website, no planes have taken off or landed at Aden airport for more than 24 hours, although the ministry did not officially announce its closure. Related: Hadramawt: 2026-01-01 Saudi Arabia needs to know UAE ‘serious’ about Yemen pullback – source Hadramawt: 2026-01-01 Current Situation in Yemen as of 30 December 2025 Hadramawt: 2025-12-30 Good Morning Related: Ghayl Bin Yamin: 2025-02-12 Hadhramaut Tribal Alliance Challenges Yemen's Government Authority Related: Ramah: 2025-12-07 First Security Support Brigade has seized control of the 315th Armored Brigade and the Thamoud Axis Ramah: 2021-03-04 Tension returns between Syria's Suwayda, Daraa Ramah: 2018-10-07 Aleppo: Syrian Army strikes jihadis near Turkish post, Al Nusra squabbles with former friends, 32 kaboomed in Turkish-linked town |
| Posted by:badanov |