DUBAI, January 7. /TASS/. At least 30 people were killed in Saudi Arabia's strikes on separatists from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the Dhale governorate in southwestern Yemen, sources in the region told TASS.
"At least 20 people were killed as a result of airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition on forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council in Dhale," a source said. According to another source, the number of casualties has risen to 30. He specified that Saudi Arabia's air force carried out more than 15 strikes on separatists' positions and equipment.
On Wednesday morning, the official spokesman of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia, Turki al-Maliki, reported that the head of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, who was supposed to fly to Riyadh on January 6 to meet with the head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Muhammad al-Alimi, disappeared at the last moment in an unknown direction.
According to the coalition, around midnight, separatists deployed equipment and weapons to the Dhale governorate. In connection with this, alliance forces carried out preventive airstrikes on the separatists in order to disrupt them and thwart an attempt to escalate the conflict. In addition, the Presidential Leadership Council of Yemen accused al-Zoubaidi of high treason and decided to revoke his membership in the council. In turn, the STC claims that the separatist leader is in Aden, the temporary capital of Yemen, and continues to perform his duties. According to the statement, the STC leadership also lost contact with the delegation that flew to Saudi Arabia.
The situation in Yemen escalated after separatists from the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of the eastern Yemeni provinces of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra in early December 2025. In response to the separatists' actions, the head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Muhammad al-Alimi, requested military assistance from the Saudi-led coalition. On December 30, he ordered to declare a 90-day state of emergency. On the same day, Yemeni authorities decided to terminate the joint defense agreement with the UAE, demanding the withdrawal of Emirati forces. The STC announced the start of a two-year transitional period, at the end of which the declaration of an independent state of South Arabia with its capital in Aden is planned. On January 3, Al-Alimi proposed holding a general conference of political forces from the country’s south in Riyadh to resolve the crisis. The STC leadership welcomed this initiative. On Saturday, government forces declared the restoration of control over the provinces of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra.