Yemen Escalation: Saudi Strikes UAE-Backed Separatists, Regional War Looms

• Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes on Mukalla, targeting alleged UAE-destined weapons for separatists, escalating tensions in Yemen.
• UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) seized control of Hadramout and Mahra provinces, including vital oil facilities and a border crossing.
• Saudi Arabia retaliated with airstrikes against STC forces and demanded their withdrawal, but the STC refused to comply.
• Diplomatic efforts by Saudi Arabia to de-escalate failed due to STC's 'intransigence,' further fracturing the anti-Houthi alliance.
• The escalating conflict disrupts a fragile calm since 2022, raising fears of a wider regional war in the Gulf and Red Sea corridors.

Why It Matters: Internal rifts among anti-Houthi forces in Yemen escalate, risking broader regional conflict.