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19h ago

Saudi-Led Coalition Says UAE Helped Yemen Separatist Leader Flee as Forces Move to Secure Aden

Riyadh's allegation that the UAE aided Aidarous al-Zubaidi’s escape intensifies a power struggle in southern Yemen.

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ADEN, YEMEN - JANUARY 08: Members of the Homeland Shield Forces, affiliated with Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council take control across the main streets and intersections after seizing control of the southern city of Aden, Yemen on January 08, 2026. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council expelled STC chief Aidarous al-Zubaidi and referred him for prosecution on high treason charges.
  • The coalition alleges al-Zubaidi traveled by boat to Somaliland and then flew via Mogadishu to a military airport in Abu Dhabi under UAE supervision, a claim the STC denies while insisting he remains in Aden.
  • Saudi-led forces conducted pre-emptive airstrikes in al-Dhale to disrupt STC-linked mobilization, with local reports citing multiple fatalities.
  • Saudi-backed National/Homeland Shield units say they have secured Aden after rolling back STC gains in Hadhramaut and Mahra, with curfews and new deployments reported.
  • The STC says more than 50 of its officials, including a delegation in Riyadh, are detained or incommunicado as the UAE withdraws remaining troops and calls for de-escalation, highlighting a widening Saudi–UAE rift.