On January 2, 2026, Saudi-led coalition warplanes launched airstrikes on UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) positions in Yemen's Hadramaut province, targeting camps in Al-Khasa and Seiyun amid escalating tensions.
These initial strikes killed at least 20 STC fighters, with dozens more wounded, marking the first coalition fatalities against the group since their recent territorial gains in resource-rich Hadramaut and Mahra.
Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, supported by the air campaign, then launched a counteroffensive that reclaimed seized military bases and cities like Seiyun and Mukalla, reversing STC advances—with preliminary tolls from January 2-4 reporting over 80 STC deaths, 152 wounded, and 130 captured in the ongoing clashes.
This intra-coalition rift highlights fractures between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, complicating Yemen's decade-long civil war against Iran-backed Houthis. The offensive underscores Hadramaut's strategic oil importance bordering Saudi Arabia.
