Yemen coalition spokesperson says STC head Al-Zubaidi fled to undisclosed location

SPA

Riyadh, January 7, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The official spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, Major General Turki Al-Malki, said the head of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidrous Al-Zubaidi, has fled to an undisclosed location.

Al-Malki said the coalition’s Joint Forces Command on January 4, 2026 informed Al-Zubaidi he must travel to Saudi Arabia within 48 hours to meet President of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi and coalition commanders to address what he described as escalation and attacks by forces affiliated with the STC in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra.

He said the STC presidency on January 5 reiterated appreciation for Saudi-led efforts to prepare a comprehensive southern conference to discuss ways to resolve the southern issue, and affirmed participation to ensure the conference’s success.

Al-Malki said Al-Zubaidi later informed Saudi authorities he would attend on January 6, and the delegation proceeded to the airport. He said a Yemenia Airways flight, IYE 532, scheduled for 10:10 p.m., was delayed for more than three hours.

During the delay, Al-Malki said the Yemeni government and the coalition received intelligence indicating that Al-Zubaidi had moved a large force, including armoured vehicles, weapons and ammunition, from the Jabal Hadid and Al-Solban camps toward Al-Dhale’ around midnight.

He said the flight was later allowed to depart carrying a large number of STC leaders, but excluding Al-Zubaidi, who he said fled to an unknown location.

Al-Malki said Al-Zubaidi left STC leaders without details on his whereabouts, and accused him of distributing weapons and ammunition inside Aden to elements led by Mu’min Al-Saqqaf and Mukhtar Al-Nubi, with the aim of creating unrest.

He said the National Shield Forces and the coalition requested PLC Vice President Abdul Rahman Al-Mahrami (Abu Zara’a) to impose security and prevent clashes in Aden.

Al-Malki said coalition forces monitored the movement of the units and that at 4:00 a.m. coalition forces, in coordination with the Yemeni government forces and the National Shield Forces, launched limited preemptive strikes to disrupt the units and prevent an escalation into Al-Dhale’.

The coalition’s Joint Forces Command said it is working with the Yemeni government and local authorities in Aden to support security efforts and urged residents to stay away from camps in Aden and Al-Dhale’, avoid gatherings of military vehicles, and provide information to security agencies on suspicious movements.