Saudi warplanes strike STC sites in Yemen's Hadramout

ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Saudi warplanes on Friday carried out airstrikes on military sites affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen's southeastern oil-rich province of Hadramout, a local security official told Xinhua.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that "several airstrikes targeted positions of the Elite Hadrami security units aligned with the STC."

He said that the strikes occurred one day after Saudi Arabia requested the STC to withdraw its forces from Hadramout, describing the airstrikes as an unprecedented development.

The strikes caused no casualties or damage to military equipment, according to the official.

In his opinion, the airstrikes were apparently intended as a strong warning to the STC, pressing it to vacate its sites in Hadramout or face further military action.

Residents said that loud explosions were heard in parts of the province, while videos circulated on social media showed plumes of smoke rising from targeted areas following the air raids.

Meanwhile, STC-affiliated media outlets reported that the airstrikes hit their forces in the Ghayl Bin Yamin area of Hadramout.

Saudi Arabia, which backs the internationally recognized government of Yemen, has so far made no official comment on the airstrikes.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said on Thursday that recent STC troop deployments in two southern Yemeni provinces constituted an "unjustified escalation" that undermines Yemen's interests and complicates the Saudi-led efforts to restore stability.

Riyadh also announced that a joint Saudi-Emirati military delegation had arrived in Aden to coordinate with the STC on withdrawing its forces in an orderly and timely manner and transferring military camps to government-affiliated or local forces. ■