Overview
- State agency Saba reported that council chief Rashad al-Alimi dismissed his deputy, Southern Transitional Council leader Aidarus al-Zubaidi, from the Presidential Leadership Council.
- According to Saba, the order cites violations of the constitution and sovereignty and sends al-Zubaidi’s case to the attorney general on charges including treason.
- Reuters reported that al-Zubaidi fled and did not board a flight to Riyadh, leaving his whereabouts unclear.
- STC forces seized Hadramaut on December 3 after clashes that the Yemeni army said left 77 soldiers and officers dead or wounded, and later entered Al Mahrah without fighting.
- The STC has asserted control across much of the south, including Aden, after al-Zubaidi declared a push to restore an independent southern state, and Saudi Arabia signaled openness to a conference on the region’s future.