Saudi-led coalition strikes Yemen, says STC leader al-Zubaidi has fled 

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has launched strikes on the country’s southern Dali governorate, saying it was targeting separatist forces after their leader fled without boarding a plane scheduled to take him to Riyadh.

The statement, issued early on Wednesday, said the leader of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) Aidarous al-Zubaidi had been due to fly out from the Yemeni city of Aden on Tuesday night for talks on ending the conflict between his group and the internationally recognised government of Yemen.

Al-Zubaidi did not board the plane, however, and has “fled to an unknown location,” it said.

“During this time, the legitimate government and the coalition received information that al-Zubaidi had mobilised a large force, including armoured vehicles, heavy and light weapons, as well as ammunition,” it said.

The force was located in the Dhali governorate, and the coalition launched “pre-emptive strikes” at 4:00am local time to thwart al-Zubaidi’s “attempt tp escalate the conflict and extend” it to the Dhali governorate, the coalition added.

The STC, which initially supported Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Houthi rebels, launched an offensive against the Saudi Arabia-backed government troops in December, seeking an independent state in the south.

The group is backed by the United Arab Emirates.

The advance broke years of deadlock, with the STC ‌seizing control of broad swaths of southern Yemen, including the Hadramout and Mahra provinces, in defiance of warnings from Riyadh. Hadramout borders Saudi Arabia while Mahra is close to the border.

The provinces make up nearly half of Yemeni territory.

Riyadh responded with air strikes on the Yemeni port of Mukalla on December 30, targeting what it called a UAE-linked weapons shipment, and backing a call by the internationally recognised government for Abu Dhabi’s forces to withdraw from the country.

The UAE denied the shipment contained weapons and said it had decided to end its “counter terrorism mission” in Yemen.

The Yemeni government troops, backed by Saudi air attacks, went on to reclaim Hadarmout and Mahra, and the STC said it would attend peace talks hosted by Saudi Arabia.

It said on Saturday that the Saudi Arabian initiative was a “genuine opportunity for serious dialogue” that could safeguard “the aspirations of the southern people”.