Yemen's UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatists declared a two-year transition to full independence on Friday, naming the prospective nation "South Arabia," even as airstrikes from the Saudi-led coalition killed 20 STC fighters at military bases, an airport, and other strategic sites amid escalating tensions in the country's south.

The announcement by STC President Aidaros Alzubidi outlined a transitional period culminating on January 2, 2028, incorporating dialogue with the Iran-backed Houthi-controlled north and a public referendum on secession, though immediate independence would be proclaimed if negotiations fail or further attacks occur on southern territories, prompting urgent calls for international mediation.

This bold move follows the STC's rapid, largely unopposed offensive last month, capturing resource-rich Hadramawt province bordering Saudi Arabia and neighboring Mahra near Oman, actions that have intensified longstanding rifts between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over control of factions within Yemen's fractured, Aden-based government coalition opposed to the Houthis.

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The Saudi-led coalition, formed in 2015 to expel the Houthis who seized Sanaa in 2014 and much of Yemen's population centers, unleashed Friday's bombardment—including seven strikes on the Al-Khasha military camp and hits on Seiyun's airport and base—after warnings and prior attacks on an alleged UAE weapons shipment, marking the first coalition fatalities since the STC campaign began and signaling an "existential" conflict as described by separatist spokesmen.

The UAE, having withdrawn all remaining troops from Yemen by Friday, reaffirmed commitment to dialogue and de-escalation despite denying arms involvement, while pro-Saudi forces in Hadramawt initiated operations to reclaim sites, underscoring the deepening divisions among Gulf powers in Yemen's decade-long civil war where rival backings perpetuate instability despite shared anti-Houthi goals.

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