ISTANBUL

Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council announced Saturday evening the formation of a top military committee under the leadership of the Saudi-led coalition to command Yemeni forces, following the successful capture of military camps from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in several provinces.

In a televised speech carried by the state news agency Saba, the council’s chairman, Rashad al-Alimi, said the process of receiving military camps in Hadhramaut, Al-Mahra, Aden, and other liberated provinces had been completed “with full success.”

Alimi called on all Yemenis to work collectively toward restoring state institutions and ending “the coup by the Iran-backed Houthi militia.”

He said the Supreme Military Committee, to be led by the Saudi-led coalition, will be responsible for preparing, equipping and commanding all military forces and formations, and supporting their preparedness for the next phase should “militias reject peaceful solutions.”

The development comes amid heightened political and security tensions in southern and eastern Yemen, as the internationally recognized government seeks to consolidate its grip in areas under its control.

In recent days, Alimi dismissed military commanders who participated with the STC in its recent takeover of Hadhramaut and Mahra in eastern Yemen. The STC had dissolved itself and all its bodies, ending its political and organizational activities.