Overview
- Saudi Arabia publicly labeled the Southern Transitional Council’s push into Hadramout and al-Mahra an unjustified escalation and called for an urgent, orderly withdrawal with a handover to the National Shield Forces.
- The STC said it will continue securing the two eastern provinces it seized earlier in December, citing security threats and claiming its operations cut supplies to the Houthi-controlled north.
- STC representatives accused Saudi aircraft of striking near their positions in Hadramout after reported ambushes that killed two fighters and wounded others, an allegation not acknowledged by Riyadh and not independently verified.
- Riyadh and Abu Dhabi dispatched a joint military delegation to Aden on December 12 to set arrangements for STC redeployment, but Saudi officials say efforts to restore the previous status remain in progress.
- The UAE publicly praised Saudi efforts to stabilize Yemen without endorsing a pullback, while Russia and other international actors urged restraint and renewed mediation.