Aden (South24 Center)

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The Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the National Resistance affirmed, in simultaneous media statements, that their leaderships emphasized the need to strengthen military and security coordination. The remarks followed a Thursday (December 11) phone call between Vice President of the Presidential Leadership Council and STC President Aidrous Al-Zubaidi, and fellow Vice President of the Council and Head of the Political Bureau of the National Resistance, Tariq Saleh.

The call came amid rapid developments and escalating political tensions in South Yemen, particularly in Hadramout and Al-Mahra governorates.

In a statement released by its official media on Thursday, the STC said that Al-Zubaidi received a phone call from Tariq Saleh, during which both sides stressed the importance of enhancing military and security coordination in confronting the Houthi group and extremist organizations.

Al-Jumhuriya TV, affiliated with Tariq Saleh, reported similar details of the call, noting that both sides agreed the battle against the Houthis is a shared responsibility, the risks are mutual, and maintaining stability in liberated areas is a fundamental basis for the coming stages.

The call came after Southern forces seized control of Wadi Hadramout and Desert, and key areas in Al-Mahra, along with the expulsion of units affiliated with the First Military Region and Northern forces, a move seen as a major shift in the balance of control and influence in these strategic areas.

Southern forces launched Operation “Promising Future,” which they said aims to secure Al-Mahra and Hadramout from threats posed by the Houthis and AQAP, in addition to combating arms and drug smuggling.

Meanwhile, informed sources told South24 on Thursday that Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi “who resides in Riyadh” issued directives to suspend Yemenia Airways flights through Seiyun International Airport in Wadi Hadramout.

The sources did not clarify the reasons behind the directives or whether they signal a prolonged closure of the airport, which is considered one of the most important in South Yemen after Aden International Airport.

The move is viewed as a potential first step toward implementing threats previously made by Al-Alimi, which included suspending salaries for public employees in South Yemen as a punitive measure.

In remarks reported by Saba News Agency on Thursday, Rashad Al-Alimi claimed that the International Monetary Fund had suspended its operations in Yemen due to the recent developments in Hadramout and Al-Mahra. He also accused the STC of committing human rights violations in the two governorates.

In a joint statement issued today, Southern political parties and groups expressed their unconditional support for the actions of the Southern Armed Forces. The statement read: “We call on regional countries and the Coalition to respect the will of Southerners.”

The statement, signed by several parties and political groups affiliated with the Southern Hirak, called for the consolidation of territorial control and the declaration of a federal state of South Arabia.

In a separate statement, the Southern Parliamentary Bloc in the Yemeni House of Representatives denied participating in a statement issued in the name of the Parliament that condemned the Southern forces’ moves in Hadramout and Al-Mahra.

Meanwhile, mass open sit-ins continue in the capital, Aden, and other cities across South Yemen in support of the Southern forces and in demand for independence.