Saudi airstrikes against separatists in Yemen

TT

Updated 22.26 | Published 13.02

 

A soldier belonging to the separatist movement STC at a roadblock in the port city of Aden. Photo: AP/TT

Saudi Arabia has carried out new airstrikes against separatist forces in Yemen.

At the same time, an operation is underway to take back military facilities from the separatists in the province of Hadramawt.

In total, there were seven airstrikes against a military base on Friday, said Mohammed Abdulmalik, a local leader in the separatist movement STC, according to AFP.

According to him, at least seven people have been killed and over twenty injured.

The separatists have carried out an offensive in Hadramawt and also al-Mahra, two oil-rich provinces bordering Saudi Arabia and Oman.

A source close to the Saudi military confirmed to AFP that the Saudi-led coalition had carried out airstrikes. The attacks will not stop until the separatists withdraw, according to the information.

The governor of Hadramawt, Salem al-Khanbashi, says that the ongoing operation to push back the separatists “should not be seen as a declaration of war” or an attempt to “escalate tensions.”

The goal is instead a “peaceful and systematic handover of military facilities,” according to a speech on state television.

The events of recent weeks have increased fears of a larger conflict and are seen as a sharp escalation in tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.