"Saudi warplanes targeted separatist fighters in Yemen, killing at least seven in a counterattack against a sweeping advance by the UAE-backed Southern Transition Council. The deaths are the first from coalition fire since the secessionist STC seized swathes of Hadramawt and Mahra provinces last month. Following the strikes, a military spokesman for the STC said it was in a decisive and existential war with Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, characterising the conflict as a fight against radical Islamism a longtime preoccupation of the UAE."
"Saudi Arabia and the UAE have for years supported rival factions in Yemen's government-run territories, but the STC's offensive has angered Riyadh and left the oil-rich Gulf powers at loggerheads. Mohammed Abdulmalik, head of the STC in Wadi Hadramaut and Hadramaut Desert, said seven airstrikes hit the al-Khasah camp, killing seven and wounding more than 20. Further strikes targeted other sites in the same region, he added. The air raids came shortly after pro-Saudi forces launched a campaign to peacefully take control of military sites"
"This operation does not target any political or social group, he said, adding that it aims to peacefully and systematically hand over military sites. Saudi sources confirmed the strikes were carried out by the Saudi-led coalition, which also nominally includes the UAE and was formed in 2015 to fight the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen's north. A source close to the Saudi military warned: It will not stop until the Southern Transitional Council withdraws from the two governorates."
Saudi warplanes struck separatist fighters in Yemen, killing at least seven after the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council seized areas of Hadramawt and Mahra. STC leaders declared a decisive, existential war against Saudi-backed government forces, framing the campaign as opposing radical Islamism. Mohammed Abdulmalik said seven airstrikes hit the al-Khasah camp, killing seven and wounding over 20, with additional strikes across the region. Pro-Saudi forces launched an operation to peacefully take control of military sites; local officials denied it was a declaration of war. Saudi sources confirmed coalition strikes and warned they would continue until STC withdrawal.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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