On December 2nd the Southern Transitional Council ( stc ), secessionists backed by the uae, went on a lightning offensive across the south-east. They seized territory held by Saudi-backed factions and now control the eight governorates that made up the former South Yemen (see map),

Saudi-led forces struck an Emirati shipment early Tuesday, worsening tensions between the once-close allies. The Saudis said the shipment had arms for a separatist group, which the Emiratis denied.

Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen’s Mukalla port after alleging UAE-backed separatists smuggled weapons, warning Emirati actions were “dangerous.”

The Houthis, who control most of Yemen, issued a sharp warning to Tel Aviv after it formally recognised Somaliland, saying any Israeli presence in the breakaway Somalian region would be treated as a “military target”.

Yemen has been at war since Iran-backed Houthi rebels ousted the government in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led military intervention, but a new internal conflict has been brewing in recent weeks.The face-off involves rival armed factions loosely grouped under the government but separately backed by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.