Deadly Clashes Erupt In Yemen’s Hadhramaut Amid Saudi Airstrikes

By Staff, Agencies

Clashes between UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces and fighters from the Saudi-aligned Hadhramaut Tribes Alliance (HTA) have left several people killed and wounded in Yemen’s eastern Hadhramaut province, as tensions escalated alongside Saudi airstrikes.

Local media reported on Friday that Saudi fighter jets struck areas in Wadi Nahb shortly after STC forces seized a military camp belonging to the HTA.

Following the air raids, STC units withdrew from some of the positions they had taken, according to Al Mayadeen’s bureau chief in Yemen.

Saudi aircraft also carried out aerial sorties over the coastal areas of al-Shihr, in what was described as pressure aimed at forcing STC forces to pull back.

Loud explosions were heard in Wadi Nahb, in the Ghayl Bin Yamin district, as a result of the strikes.

Meanwhile, armed clashes broke out between STC forces and HTA fighters in the districts of Ghayl Bin Yamin and al-Shihr, causing casualties on both sides.

The STC’s Hadhrami Elite Forces said their units were targeted in what they described as a “bloody ambush” by HTA fighters in the Ays Khurd area of al-Shihr.

STC-affiliated commanders also accused armed groups linked to the tribal alliance of attacking their forces in the al-Hadbah area, warning of a “crushing response” as tensions continue to rise across the province.