Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reveals how Saudi Arabia handed the South over to the UAE and withdrew from the Yemeni scene

NYN | Reports and Analyses 

Al-Akhbar reported that Riyadh has, over the past several days, continued a large-scale evacuation of its military and civilian personnel from the city of Aden, in a move reflecting a notable shift in its field posture in southern Yemen.

According to aviation sources at Aden Airport, the airport experienced significant disruption due to continuous flights arranged by the Saudi Air Force to transport the remaining ministers of the Aden government and presidential staff from the Ma’ashiq Palace, along with Saudi medical teams that had been working in the city’s hospitals.

This evacuation coincided with an effective shutdown of the Saudi presence within decision-making centers inside Aden, which informed sources considered an indication of the conclusion of an entire phase of directly managing the southern scene.

Withdrawal orders for factions loyal to Riyadh

The newspaper notes that the evacuation was not an isolated step. It was accompanied by explicit Saudi directives to armed factions loyal to it—most importantly the Salafi “Nation Shield Forces”—to withdraw immediately from Aden and their positions in Lahj, Abyan, Mahra, and Wadi Hadhramaut.

According to the sources, the orders included redeploying these forces to specific areas along the Al-Abr road linking Hadhramaut and Marib, and to the Al-Wadi‘ah border area, in addition to closing the only land crossing connecting Yemen to the Kingdom. The newspaper interpreted this as a near-total severing of Saudi Arabia’s logistical lines inside the South.

Allied fears and field abuses

These withdrawals, Al-Akhbar added, caused widespread concern among pro-Riyadh forces in the southern and eastern provinces, fearing they might face abuses by factions of the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

The newspaper reported incidents of detention targeting several members of the “Hadhramaut Protection Forces,” affiliated with the Saudi-aligned “Hadhramaut Tribes Alliance.”

It also noted documented raids and systematic looting of homes and shops belonging to dozens of citizens from the northern provinces, amid accusations of extrajudicial killings of a number of soldiers originating from Amran, Dhamar, and Raymah, according to testimonies from their families.

Sana’a: A regional and international conspiracy

Meanwhile, the newspaper cited statements from Sana’a describing the developments in the South as an “Emirati–Saudi–American conspiracy” aimed at imposing a new partitioning reality. The governor of Hadhramaut appointed by the Sana’a government, Major General Luqman Baras, accused international actors of fueling the ongoing fighting in Hadhramaut.

Baras asserted that the recent movements are intended to impose new power balances serving regional and international interests seeking control over strategic locations and vital resources in southern and eastern Yemen.

STC strengthens its influence in Bab al-Mandab and Mahra

Al-Akhbar notes that the Saudi withdrawal coincided with an acceleration of STC moves to solidify its military control, especially in sensitive areas.

Its forces established full control over the headquarters of the 4th Brigade of the “Nation Shield Forces” in Ras al-Arah, overlooking the Bab al-Mandab strait.

They also completed the takeover of camps and military sites in the Shahn border area with Oman, prompting Omani authorities to re-close the Shahn crossing—just days after reopening it following its handover to pro-Riyadh forces.

Airspace closure and aid suspension… decisive Saudi messages

The newspaper adds that Riyadh closed Yemeni airspace in parallel with the halt of household gas supplies from the Safer facility in Marib—moves analysts interpreted as a direct message to Abu Dhabi that Saudi Arabia is no longer willing to shoulder the burdens of the southern situation.

Activities previously carried out by the Kingdom through the “Reconstruction Program,” including funding service projects, power stations, and hospitals, were also suspended—leaving the UAE alone to face heavy responsibilities that the Aden government and the Presidential Leadership Council failed to manage despite international support.

UAE celebrates as talk of a separatist reality grows

In contrast, Al-Akhbar indicates that the UAE continued to treat the developments as a strategic gain.

The adviser to the UAE president, Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, openly expressed support for the STC’s push to impose a separatist reality in the South.

He wrote that the time has come for Gulf states—clearly referring to Saudi Arabia—“to reconcile with reality and recognize the Arab South as a legitimate state,” a stance reflecting the UAE’s confidence in the emerging trajectory on the ground.

A new scene in the South

The newspaper concludes that these events cannot be separated from a profound redrawing of the Yemeni landscape, with Saudi Arabia opting for a gradual exit from the southern arena and leaving the UAE facing an open political and security reality—one carrying serious implications for Yemen’s unity and the future of conflict in the region.

Source: Al-Akhbar (Lebanon)