Forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) claim to have repelled what they are calling the ‘first attack’ targeting Hadramout, in eastern Yemen. The claim follows accusations by the STC that Saudi-led coalition aircraft conducted strikes against their positions within the Hadramout governorate.
Speaking to DZWatch, STC spokesperson Anwar al-Tamimi asserted that the forces advancing toward Hadramout were not local, but originated from other regions. He described the situation in southern Yemen as a ‘full-fledged aggression’. Prior to the alleged attack, STC-affiliated media reported airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition targeting southern government forces.
Concurrently, the Homeland Shield Forces (HSF) stated that their air force had bombed STC gatherings in the Al-Khasha area of Hadramout. Meanwhile, Mohammed Abdul Malik al-Zubaidi, head of the STC in Wadi and Sahara Hadramout, alleged that significant forces had arrived in Hadramout from Marib, purportedly to launch an offensive against STC forces. He stated that clashes had erupted between STC forces and ‘invading forces coming from the north’.
The head of the media department of the Hadramout Tribal Alliance confirmed clashes between the Homeland Shield Forces and STC forces within the Al-Khasha camp in Hadramout. He added that ‘legitimate forces’ had dealt peacefully with the STC forces. He also stated that the alliance forces are participating in the process of taking over the camps and support the decisions of President Rashad al-Alimi, stressing that the Transitional Council is making contacts to secure a safe exit from their camps, and called on the Transitional Council “to stop the bloodshed and return to their homes safely.”
In a related development, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition stated that the Saudi Navy had completed its deployment in the Arabian Sea to conduct inspection and anti-smuggling operations. Earlier, the governor of Hadramout, Salem al-Khanbashi, announced the launch of ‘camp handover’ operation to peacefully and systematically receive military sites from the STC forces. Al-Khanbashi’s statements followed his appointment by the Chairman of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, to assume general command of the Homeland Shield Forces in the governorate. The appointment decree granted al-Khanbashi full military, security, and administrative powers to achieve the restoration of security.
