UAE-backed STC seizes Yemen oil regions, reigniting civil war & Gulf tensions.

• A UAE-backed separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), has seized oil-rich regions in southern Yemen, including Hadramout and Mahra.
• This move by the STC threatens to reignite Yemen's civil war and create wider tensions in the Persian Gulf region.
• The STC's actions have disrupted the fragile stalemate and the alliance against Houthi rebels, despite both the STC and the internationally recognized government being anti-Houthi.
• The STC, which seeks an independent South Yemen, now controls most of the southern half of the country, including crucial port cities and islands.
• Saudi Arabia, which backs the internationally recognized government, expressed dissatisfaction with the STC's actions and is attempting to de-escalate tensions.

Why It Matters: Yemen escalation threatens regional stability and global trade routes.