Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council, says Homeland Shield forces had achieved ‘record success’.

Zubaidi was set to travel to Saudi Arabia days after Riyadh was asked to host a forum on clashes. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Yemen is threatening to fracture even further, exposing a growing rift between Middle East powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Yemen's southern separatists welcomed on Saturday a call for dialogue by Saudi Arabia to end a recent military escalation, a potential sign that an unusually public confrontation between the kingdom and the United Arab Emirates may be easing.

ADEN, Yemen -- Saudi-backed forces spread across Yemen's Mukalla on Sunday after retaking the port city which was seized by southern separatists last month. The capital of Hadramout province was retaken by Yemen’s internationally recognized government following days of Saudi airstrikes.

The Southern Transitional Council said Aidarous al-Zubaidi remained in Aden “to ensure security.” It also accused Saudi Arabia of launching deadly airstrikes in Yemen.

Zubaidi, who took up arms early in life and never shied away from joining conflicts, shows no signs of abandoning his dream of creating an independent state in the south.

Yemen's Southern Transitional Council aims to hold a referendum on independence in two years. This move challenges the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and intensifies regional tensions. The UAE has approached the situation with restraint,

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen demands the withdrawal of separatist forces from the two governorates as part of de-escalation efforts.

Southern Transitional Council chief Aidarous al-Zubaidi didn't board plane to Saudi Arabia with other official for talks, now said to have 'fled to an unknown location'

A separatist group in southern Yemen says it's urgently trying to contact a delegation that traveled to Riyadh for talks