In a serious escalation in Yemen’s occupied southern provinces, Saudi warplanes launched intensive airstrikes at dawn on Wednesday targeting Aden and Al-Dhalea, amid reports that Aidarous al-Zubaidi fled to an unknown location.
The Saudi-led coalition announced it carried out airstrikes on the Hadid and Al-Solayan camps belonging to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in Aden, signaling that internal disputes among coalition factions have entered a phase of direct military confrontation.
According to the coalition, the strikes followed intelligence indicating that al-Zubaidi had mobilized large forces, including armored vehicles and heavy and light weapons, toward Al-Dhalea, after delaying a Yemenia Airways flight scheduled to take him to Saudi Arabia.
The flight later departed without him, after he reportedly distributed weapons in Aden ahead of attempts to destabilize security.
The coalition said these developments prompted the Saudi-backed figure Abdulrahman al-Muharrami to assume responsibility for imposing security in Aden to prevent clashes between rival factions.
Separately, coalition spokespersons warned residents in Aden and Al-Dhalea to avoid military sites and armored vehicle gatherings, citing safety concerns, amid indications of further escalation that could affect civilian areas.
Security sources revealed that STC militias carried out organized looting of weapons from several military camps and sovereign sites in Aden, including Al-Qasr Camp, Badr Camp, and the Maasheeq Palace compound, transferring the arms to unknown locations to avoid Saudi airstrikes—reflecting deep divisions and panic within STC ranks.
In a major political development, Rashad al-Alimi announced from Riyadh the removal of Aidarous al-Zubaidi from the Presidential Council and referred him to the public prosecutor on charges of high treason, underscoring the deepening rifts and disintegration within the coalition-backed authority.
Al-Alimi accused al-Zubaidi of forming armed gangs, committing killings against officers and soldiers, undermining Yemen’s sovereignty, and exploiting the southern cause while committing serious violations against civilians.
