ADEN/RIYADH, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Saudi warplanes on Friday carried out airstrikes targeting positions held by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen's southeastern oil-rich province of Hadramout, as fierce clashes broke out on the ground, local officials and sources said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a local military official told Xinhua that the airstrikes coincided with heavy fighting between STC forces and the Saudi-backed Yemeni forces in several areas of the province.
A military source with STC forces said that more than three Saudi airstrikes targeted the 37th Brigade base in the al-Khashah area of Hadramout Valley, adding that the strikes caused casualties without providing further details.
Separately, Mohammed Abdulmalik, head of the STC in Hadramout, said seven airstrikes hit the al-Khashah camp, killing seven soldiers and wounding over 20.
On the other hand, a government official said that STC fighters had ambushed advancing government forces seeking to retake state institutions in the province. The official added that Saudi warplanes intervened to support ground forces and track movements in the area.
Earlier in the day, the Saudi-backed Yemeni government announced a military operation against the STC in Hadramout. The province's governor said in a televised speech from Riyadh that the operation aims to restore state control and secure key institutions in the oil-rich region.
Meanwhile, STC forces said Friday that they were fully prepared to respond to any military escalation, following the governor's announcement.
Mohammed al-Naqeeb, an STC spokesman, said on X that STC forces were on high alert.
"Our forces, with their steadfastness, resilience and high readiness, stand prepared to deliver a painful response on all fronts, and will confront and crush the Brotherhood's terrorist militias," al-Naqeeb said.
Ahmed Saeed Bin Burik, former governor of Hadramout and deputy head of the STC, on Friday called on residents of Hadramout to support the local Hadrami Elite Forces and southern units amid rising tensions.
In a brief statement posted on X, he urged local communities to "stand firmly with their security forces" against what he described as attempts by rival Yemeni forces to advance in the province and reassert control over key oil assets.
Also on Friday, Spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition Turki al-Malki announced the deployment of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces in the Arabian Sea to "combat smuggling."
"The Royal Saudi Naval Forces have completed their deployment in the Arabian Sea to conduct inspection operations and combat smuggling," he wrote on X.
Hadramout, Yemen's largest and key oil-producing province, has seen rising political and military tensions in recent days amid ongoing rivalry between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the STC.
Tensions between the two Yemeni factions escalated after the STC seized large swathes of the Hadramout province and the eastern province of Al-Mahrah last month. Saudi Arabia views these areas as a "red line" given their proximity to its border and concentration of Yemen's remaining energy reserves.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since 2014, when Houthi forces captured Sanaa and large swathes of the north, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015.
Formed in 2017, the United Arab Emirates-sponsored STC seeks self-determination and eventual independence for southern Yemen. Despite joining the Saudi-led coalition and integrating into Yemen's ruling Presidential Leadership Council in 2022, the group continues to push for southern sovereignty, leading to recurring disputes over power-sharing and control of resources. ■
