Saudi warplanes and reconnaissance drones carried out heavy aerial activity on Saturday over several areas of southern Yemen controlled by the Southern Transitional Council (STC), according to a report by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency, citing a military source.
The flights were reported over multiple STC-held locations, including the village of Zubaid in al-Dhalea province, described as the birthplace of STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi. The reported surge in air activity follows earlier airstrikes this month that Xinhua said hit houses linked to senior STC figures, including al-Zubaidi.
Give the gift of hope
We practice what we preach:
accurate, fearless journalism. But we can't do it alone.
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
Join us.
Support The Media Line. Save democracy.
The developments come against a backdrop of renewed questions about al-Zubaidi’s whereabouts. He had not appeared publicly or issued a statement clarifying his location since the reported strikes, fueling speculation and competing claims about where he has been. Earlier this month, the Saudi-led coalition claimed that al-Zubaidi had left Yemen via Somalia and traveled to the United Arab Emirates after missing planned talks in Riyadh. The STC rejected that account, insisting he remained in southern Yemen.
On Saturday evening, al-Zubaidi responded publicly for the first time since the coalition’s claims circulated, using a brief post on X to reaffirm his push for an “independent southern Yemeni state.” He also pointed to a large demonstration held Friday in Aden as evidence of popular momentum.
The STC, formed in 2017 and widely viewed as aligned with the UAE, seeks self-determination for southern Yemen. It joined Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council in 2022, but disputes over power-sharing, security control, and resources have repeatedly strained relations with other anti-Houthi factions, even as Yemen’s broader conflict drags on.