Supporters of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a coalition of separatist groups seeking to restore the state of South Yemen, hold South Yemen flags during a rally, in Aden, Yemen, Dec. 25, 2025. Arabic reads, "announcement of South Arab state". AP
Yemen separatists said they were undeterred after strikes blamed on Saudi Arabia hit their positions Friday, December 26, in the latest escalation since they seized large swathes of territory last month. Emirati-backed separatists seeking to revive the formerly independent state of South Yemen have in recent weeks made territorial gains, while regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, the Yemeni government's main backer, has warned them to pull back. Washington, which counts both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as allies, on Friday called for restraint.
There were no immediate reports of casualties in air strikes in Hadramawt province, which came amid a dramatic escalation in a conflict that, for more than a decade, has plunged Yemen into humanitarian catastrophe. The separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) said strikes "will not serve any path of understanding and will not deter the people of the South from continuing to move forward toward restoring their full rights".
