• Saudi-led airstrikes have killed at least seven fighters from the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC).
• The strikes are a response to the STC's recent territorial gains in Yemen's Hadramawt province.
• Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE have escalated amid competing interests in Yemen.

Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Yemen's Hadramawt province resulted in the deaths of at least seven separatist fighters affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Friday, escalating tensions in the region. Mohammed Abdulmalik, head of the STC in Wadi Hadramaut, reported that multiple strikes hit the Al-Khasah camp, which also left over 20 wounded, marking the first fatalities from coalition fire since the STC seized key areas last month. The strikes came after pro-Saudi forces initiated a campaign to reclaim military sites from the STC, which has increasingly challenged Saudi influence in the region, according to India Times and South China Morning Post.

Following the airstrikes, the STC has characterized its clash with Saudi-backed forces as a "decisive and existential" conflict, claiming that intense fighting has erupted following recent territorial gains. The air raids intensified after the STC's offensive threatened to destabilize the region, with both the UAE and Saudi Arabia backing rival factions in the Yemeni war. Tensions peaked when the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al-Jabir, accused the STC of blocking a Saudi mediation delegation from arriving in Aden, thus straining diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation, according to Los Angeles Times and Le Monde.

In light of recent developments, the Saudi-led coalition has expressed a firm demand for the STC to withdraw from both Hadramawt and Mahra provinces. Governor Salem Al-Khanbashi of Hadramout defended the airstrikes as “not a declaration of war” but termed it a necessary measure to prevent further chaos and secure the region. However, the STC leadership has contended that this campaign aimed at the forceful recovery of military sites contradicts the narrative of a peaceful operation, as asserted by a spokesperson who accused Saudi Arabia of deception, according to India Times and Los Angeles Times.

Furthermore, the attacks disrupted air travel, leading to a suspension of flights to and from Aden airport, as new Saudi-imposed security checks mandated flights to land in Jeddah for inspections. The STC-controlled transport ministry reacted strongly against these measures, seeing them as an infringement on their sovereignty and stirring discontent among the affected civilian population, as reported by South China Morning Post and Le Monde.