UPDATE – Royal Saudi Navy deployed in Arabian Sea for inspections, combating smuggling: Saudi-led coalition

UPDATES WITH DETAILS

By Lina Altawell

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Royal Saudi Navy has deployed in the Arabian Sea to begin inspection and anti-smuggling operations, a spokesman for the Saudi-led Arab coalition said Friday.

Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said on the US social media company X that the deployment aims to strengthen maritime surveillance and carry out operational tasks to ensure security and stability in the region.

The move follows clashes in eastern Hadhramaut, where government-aligned Nation’s Shield Forces fought members of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the Al-Khashaa area of Hadramaut’s desert and valley, which lies along the Arabian Sea coast.

Early Friday, Abdulbasit al-Qaedi, a deputy information minister in Yemen’s internationally recognized government, told Anadolu that the clashes erupted to force STC forces out of positions they seized in December.

According to an Anadolu reporter, airstrikes targeted STC forces as they clashed with government troops during the takeover of military sites in Hadhramaut.

Governor Salem Al-Khanbashi said the Nation’s Shield Forces took control of the Brigade 37 camp in the Al-Khashaa area, north of the province. The camp is considered one of the most strategic military installations in Hadhramaut.

Yemen has seen an unprecedented escalation since Tuesday after STC forces took control of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra in early December. The two provinces account for nearly half of Yemen’s territory and share borders with Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) the same day of “pushing STC forces to carry out military operations” along the kingdom’s southern border in Hadhramaut and Mahra. Abu Dhabi denied the accusation.

The STC says successive Yemeni governments have marginalized southern regions politically and economically and calls for secession. Yemeni authorities reject the claim and reaffirm their commitment to the country’s unity.