Saudi-aligned troops capture Mukalla’s main military base and Seiyun airport, escalating a proxy conflict with UAE-backed separatists in Yemen.
MUKALLA: Saudi-backed military forces have seized key positions in Yemen’s resource-rich Hadramawt province, escalating a direct confrontation with factions supported by the United Arab Emirates.
Military officials with the Saudi-aligned government confirmed their forces took control of the principal military base in the provincial capital, Mukalla, on Saturday.
Gunfire was heard in the city early Saturday, with residents describing a security breakdown as Saudi-backed forces advanced with little resistance.
In Seiyun, 160 kilometres northwest of Mukalla, pro-Saudi forces captured the airport and administrative buildings targeted in Friday’s coalition strikes.
“We are working to secure them,” a government military official said.
The advances follow a wave of attacks launched by the Saudi-led coalition on Friday, including on the Al-Khasha military camp.
The Southern Transitional Council, a UAE-backed secessionist group, said the Al-Khasha strike left 20 of its fighters dead.
A STC military official acknowledged a retreat, stating, “We carried out a complete withdrawal from the areas of Al-Khasha… as a result of pressure from Saudi air strikes on us.”
The official added, “There has been a retreat of our forces and we are resisting the attacking forces in Seiyun.”
The confrontations mark a deepening rift between the Gulf allies, who have long supported rival factions within Yemen’s fractured government.
Riyadh was angered by a recent STC offensive to capture Hadramawt, putting the oil-rich powers on a collision course.
The coalition had issued repeated warnings and conducted air strikes, including on an alleged Emirati weapons shipment earlier this week.
