{"id":7200,"date":"2026-01-01T19:38:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T19:38:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=7200"},"modified":"2026-01-01T19:38:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T19:38:47","slug":"yemens-separatist-stc-refuses-to-withdraw-from-provinces-near-saudi-arabia-conflict-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=7200","title":{"rendered":"Yemen\u2019s separatist STC refuses to withdraw from provinces near Saudi Arabia | Conflict News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>STC to maintain presence, but agrees to deployment of Riyadh-backed National Shield government forces in the areas.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"byline byline--single-avatar\">\n<div class=\"avatars-container\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Elis-Gjevori-1729519077.jpg?resize=96%2C96&amp;quality=80 96w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 96px) 96px, 96px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 1 Jan 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">1 Jan 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p data-start=\"529\" data-end=\"817\">Tensions in Yemen continue to simmer as Rashad al-Alimi, the head of the internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council, has warned against unilateral military moves by southern separatists.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"819\" data-end=\"1202\">Al-Alimi cautioned that further advances by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatists in Hadramout and al-Mahra provinces would have serious consequences.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p data-start=\"819\" data-end=\"1202\">His warning followed a surprise offensive in December that saw STC forces seize control of the resource-rich provinces. Riyadh has accused the United Arab Emirates of egging the STC on and warned that the presence of the STC in Yemeni provinces that border Saudi Arabia poses a threat to its security. The UAE has rejected those allegations and has said it supports Saudi Arabia\u2019s security.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1204\" data-end=\"1575\">Meanwhile, the STC has rejected al-Alimi\u2019s authority, insisting its fighters will remain in place in the provinces that Saudi Arabia and the official Yemeni government want them out of.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1204\" data-end=\"1575\">On Wednesday evening, the group announced a new agreement to deploy additional separatist forces to areas it has taken in Hadramout, further entrenching its presence. Neither the Yemeni government nor Saudi Arabia has issued an official response to this announcement.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1577\" data-end=\"1955\">Mohammed al-Naqeeb, an STC spokesperson, said in a video posted on X that the group\u2019s units would continue operating in the seized areas. He added, however, that they would be coordinated with the \u201cHomeland Shield\u201d forces affiliated with the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"limited-withdrawal\" data-start=\"1577\" data-end=\"1955\">Limited withdrawal<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"2110\" data-end=\"2478\">Hadramout\u2019s governor, Salem al-Khanbashi, said the STC\u2019s response to official demands for a withdrawal had been limited.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2110\" data-end=\"2478\">Speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic, he urged the separatists to pull their forces out of Hadramout and return them to their original positions. He said he wanted to avoid bloodshed and warned that continued defiance risked plunging the province into violence.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2480\" data-end=\"2714\">On Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition announced air strikes on weapons and military vehicles after they arrived at the port of Mukalla on two ships from Fujairah. Mukalla is under STC control.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2716\" data-end=\"2901\">Saudi Arabia said its national security was a \u201cred line\u201d and accused the UAE of sending the military equipment to the STC as its troops gain territory in Hadramout and al-Mahra.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2903\" data-end=\"3266\">Abu Dhabi rejected the accusation. The UAE\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the claims as \u201callegations\u201d but later announced the end of the remaining missions of its \u201ccounterterrorism\u201d teams in Yemen.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3268\" data-end=\"3437\">The STC, which seeks the secession of southern Yemen, launched its latest military moves in early December and has ignored repeated local and regional calls to withdraw.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3439\" data-end=\"3702\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">The European Union warned on Wednesday that developments in Hadramout and al-Mahra risk spurring new instability across the Gulf. \u201cThe EU calls for de-escalation,\u201d a spokesperson said, reaffirming support for Yemen\u2019s unity and the Presidential Leadership Council.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>STC to maintain presence, but agrees to deployment of Riyadh-backed National Shield government forces in the areas. Published On 1 Jan 20261 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Tensions in Yemen continue to simmer as Rashad al-Alimi, the head of the internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council, has warned against unilateral [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}