Hadramawt governor announces peaceful operation to retake military sites after UAE-backed separatist advance, aiming to avoid escalation.
MUKALLA: Yemen’s Hadramawt province is launching an operation to “peacefully” take back military sites after a sweeping advance by UAE-backed separatists.
Governor Salem Al-Khanbashi made the announcement shortly after he was also appointed to lead the Saudi-supported National Shield forces in the resource-rich province.
“This operation is not a declaration of war, nor an attempt to escalate tensions,” Khanbashi was cited as saying in a statement by the official Saba Net news agency.
He added that the operation does not target any political or social group, nor civilians.
The secessionist Southern Transitional Council forces’ march through Hadramawt and neighbouring Mahra has escalated tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
The wealthy Gulf powers are rival powerbrokers in Yemen’s government-run areas.
They formed the backbone of a military coalition aimed at dislodging the Iran-backed Houthi rebels after 2014.
After a decade-long civil war, the Houthis remain in place and the Saudis and Emiratis are backing different factions in the government-controlled territories.
