Aden- Ali Rabee

Forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which seeks the secession of southern Yemen, has captured the interim capital, Aden, and its neighboring province, Abyan.

A day after arriving in Aden, government forces have withdrawn towards the Shabwa province.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni government has accused the UAE of supporting the STC and aerially intervening to target its forces in Aden and Abyan, in favor of the separatists.

A recent Saudi-UAE joint statement has rejected the accusations against the UAE, affirming that both countries would continue their political, military, humanitarian and development work as part of the coalition efforts to preserve the interests of the Yemeni people and deter the Iran-aligned Houthi militias.

The statement also renewed the call for quick engagement in the dialogue that Saudi Arabia had called for to address the causes and repercussions of the events in some southern provinces and unify the position against the militias.

The Yemeni presidency issued a statement on the UAE raids, saying they have caused casualties.

The coup militias attacked all state institutions and camps in Aden under UAE support and planning, adding that they have expanded their attacks towards Lahij and Abyan governorates until they reached Shabwa.

“We were surprised by the UAE military raids against citizens and members of our army, amid populated neighborhoods in different places in Aden,” the statement read.

The Gulf state, in turn, defended its position, explaining that these raids were in defense of the coalition from the militias.

In its responding statement, the UAE attributed the raids to field information it had received indicating the targeting of coalition elements, which required a direct response to avoid any military threat.

It stressed that the strikes were carried out at specific locations.

According to security sources and eyewitnesses, Yemeni army forces were seen Thursday withdrawing from Abyan after retreating from Aden.

STC sources published pictures of its leaders during their inspection tours in the streets of Aden and its airport and the city of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan.