ISTANBUL
Coalition fighter jets struck forces loyal to Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the Hadhramaut province on Friday after they allegedly set up ambushes targeting Yemeni government troops during the handover of military positions, said Yemen’s Information Ministry undersecretary.
Mohammed Qizan told Al Jazeera that “coalition fighter jets are striking STC forces that are setting up ambushes” in the province.
They had set up ambushes along the route of Yemeni government forces as they were taking over military positions in the Hadhramaut province, said an Anadolu correspondent.
Hadhramaut Governor Salem al-Khanbashi said the airstrikes targeted forces that attacked the Nation’s Shield Forces as they advanced Friday to take over military positions, adding that ambushes of the units’ peaceful movement prompted the strikes.
He also urged residents of Hadhramaut not to interfere with the forces or set up ambushes during their deployment.
Mukhtar al-Rahbi, an adviser to Yemen’s information minister, said the strikes targeted heavy weapons brought by STC forces into Seiyun Airport after the facility was shut down and converted into a military base.
Rahbi published a video on the US social media company X showing the bombardment but did not specify the nature of it or provide further details.
However, Aden Al-Mustaqbal TV, a broadcaster affiliated with the STC, said Seiyun Airport was hit by three airstrikes carried out by Saudi aircraft. There was no immediate comment from Riyadh or from the Saudi-led coalition as of yet.
Clashes erupted earlier on Friday between the Nation’s Shield Forces and STC units in the Al-Khashaa area north of Hadhramaut, Yemen’s largest oil-producing province, which makes up roughly one-third of the country’s territory.
Yemen has seen an unprecedented escalation since Tuesday after STC forces took control of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra in early December. The two provinces account for nearly half of Yemen’s territory and share borders with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of “pushing STC forces to carry out military operations” along the kingdom’s southern border in Hadhramaut and Mahra. Abu Dhabi denied the accusation.
The STC says successive Yemeni governments have marginalized southern regions politically and economically and calls for secession. Yemeni authorities reject the claim and reaffirm their commitment to the country’s unity.