The home province of Yemen's United Arab Emirates-backed separatist leader was bombed by a Saudi-led coalition Wednesday after he failed to attend talks in Riyadh and was ousted from the country's presidential body.
The coalition said it had given Aidarous al-Zubaidi a 48-hour ultimatum to come to Riyadh for discussions, after his Southern Transitional Council (STC) grabbed swathes of territory last month.
But he failed to board the flight carrying his delegation and the coalition struck his home province of al-Dhale after accusing him of mobilizing "large forces" there.
Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, which holds executive power and groups rival UAE and Saudi-backed figures, then announced al-Zubaidi's removal, accusing him of high treason.
The showdown between Yemen's rival factions raised fears that the second city Aden, where the STC insisted its leader was still located, could be drawn into the violence.
