Saudi Forces Retake Oil-Rich Hadramawt From UAE-Backed Southern Transitional Council

Saudi-backed government forces pushed into Hadramawt province over the weekend and say they have retaken key sites in the oil- and resource-rich region.

“Video footage shows Saudi-backed forces advancing toward the Yemeni city of Mukalla and seizing new areas in Hadramout”

Al Jazeera

They reported retaking Seiyun and the main military base and port city of Mukalla.

Al Jazeera

GujaratSamachar, citing Xinhua and anonymous local officials and residents, reports government troops entered Seiyun and secured full control after STC fighters withdrew from the airport and key state institutions.

France 24 and Kuwait Times also report pro‑Saudi forces retook Mukalla and seized the city’s principal military base as well as Seiyun airport and administrative buildings.

Al Jazeera’s video coverage similarly shows Saudi-backed forces advancing toward Mukalla and seizing new areas in Hadramout.

The reports underline that externally backed rival forces are contesting control across southern Yemen.

The advance was accompanied by Saudi-led air strikes and warnings aimed at pushing back the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council.

Multiple outlets report that the coalition launched strikes after the STC’s recent offensive.

Al Jazeera

Kuwait Times says the push came "after a wave of Saudi-led air strikes" and France 24 notes the coalition issued warnings and launched strikes including one on an "alleged Emirati arms shipment."

The New Arab and Firstpost report strikes on camps in Al‑Khasha and Barshid.

The STC says strikes on Al‑Khasha killed "20 people."

Firstpost cites STC officials telling AFP that the Al‑Khasha strike killed at least "seven people" and wounded more than 20, illustrating contested casualty counts and competing claims about specific strikes.

Reports from the ground describe mixed security conditions, with some journalists and officials noting relatively little organized resistance as Saudi-aligned forces advanced.

“Saudi‑backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) requested — and Riyadh welcomed — a forum to resolve a deadly southern rift, urging all southern factions to attend”

Al Jazeera

Other sources, including residents and AFP correspondents, reported gunfire, clashes, looting and a breakdown of security in Mukalla and Seiyun.

Kuwait Times said the advance "encountered little resistance" even as an AFP reporter "heard gunfire and residents described a breakdown in security."

Türkiye Today and France 24 reported that tribal Hadramaut Protection Forces and National Shield units seized sites such as the presidential palace in Seiyun and pushed into Mukalla, while retreating fighters continued to resist in Seiyun.

The operation deepened a diplomatic rift between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi and prompted political moves aimed at containing the fallout.

Multiple outlets noted that Saudi officials and the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council framed the STC offensive as a serious breach.

Al Jazeera

The BBC reports the PLC called the STC's offensive a 'rebellion' and cancelled a defence pact with Abu Dhabi.

The Associated Press quoted Saudi officials accusing the STC and its leader of spurning de-escalation.

The Guardian and South China Morning Post highlighted that the UAE announced a troop withdrawal after the coalition struck an alleged weapons shipment.

These developments underscore how the Saudi-UAE squeeze has become a major regional story.

Analysts and regional outlets warn the clashes risk opening a new front and further fragmenting Yemen.

“Yemen’s deputy foreign minister said STC leader Aidarous al‑Zubaidi does not have a clear mandate from all southerners and ruled out talks with the STC until its forces withdraw”

Al-Jazeera Net

Mathrubhumi and The Straits Times flag concerns that renewed southern infighting could help Iran-aligned Houthis consolidate control in the north.

Al-Jazeera Net

The New Arab and Defense Post highlight that shifting allegiances — including reports of Mahra forces 'lowering the separatist flag and raising Yemen's' — could reshape local balances.

Reporting across outlets varies in tone from hard, military-first accounts to cautionary political analyses.

Casualty and control claims remain contested across different sources.