Saudi-backed forces regain control of strategic Yemeni region

Dana Khraiche, Bloomberg News on Jan 5, 2026

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Saudi Arabia-backed forces in Yemen regained control of the strategic region of Hadramout over the weekend, following days of clashes with secessionist groups aligned with the United Arab Emirates.

The fighting has raised tensions between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh as the two Gulf powerhouses and U.S. allies back rival factions in the ongoing Yemeni civil war.

Backed by Saudi airstrikes, the National Shield Forces launched a military operation last week to retake Hadramout — which stretches from the Gulf of Aden to the Saudi border — and Al Mohra. The NSF engaged in battles with the Southern Transitional Council, which is supported by the UAE and whose forces eventually retreated.

The moves mark a significant geopolitical setback for the UAE and a gain for the Saudis, whose government has been irked by what it sees at Emirati meddling in its sphere of influence.

The head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, an internationally-recognized government supported by the Saudis, urged the STC to engage “seriously” in dialogue.

The STC seeks autonomy in south Yemen and seized control of the two provinces last month.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia called on Yemen’s southern factions to engage in talks with others in Riyadh to find “just solutions to the southern cause.”

Riyadh accused the UAE of backing the STC’s advance and warned Abu Dhabi that it had breached a “red line.” It asked Emirati forces to withdraw from Yemen.

The UAE denied the allegations but said it was withdrawing its forces “on its own volition.”

Saudi Arabia and the UAE were part of a coalition set up in 2015 to fight the Iran-backed Houthis after they captured the Yemeni capital of Sana’a a year earlier. The Houthi advances were part of an ongoing civil war involving multiple groups that has claimed almost 400,000 lives.

The Houthis now control about one-third of Yemen’s territory, though that includes the majority of the population and key cities such as Sana’a and the port of Hodeida.