Saudi Jets Pound STC Positions in Yemen, Reigniting Southern Power Struggle

A Sudden Dawn Assault

At 04:17 local time, the sky above Yemen’s southern port city of Aden cracked open. Residents who had been drifting back to sleep after the dawn prayer described a sound like tearing canvas—Saudi-led coalition warplanes sweeping low over the Crater district. Within minutes, plumes of black smoke rose near the presidential palace, now headquarters of the secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC).

The Target: A Rival’s Growing Clout

Three airstrikes hit an STC barracks and an adjacent weapons depot, according to two Yemeni security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. Satellite imagery reviewed by Regional Monitor shows at least five buildings flattened and a runway scarred at the adjacent Al-Buraiqeh naval base, recently seized by STC-aligned forces.

"We woke to the windows shattering. My children thought the war had restarted from scratch," said Amal Farouk, a 34-year-old civil servant who lives two blocks from the depot. "People are packing bags again."

Why Now? A Timeline of Escalation

• 12 April: STC fighters ousted pro-Hadi troops from Aden’s key oil terminal, tightening their grip on customs revenue.
• 15 April: Riyadh summoned STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi for emergency talks; he reportedly left after only three hours.
• 17 April: The coalition issued a 48-hour ultimatum to vacate military sites; the deadline expired at midnight.
• 18 April, 04:17: Airstrikes begin.

Riyadh’s Message

Hours after the raid, Saudi state media framed the operation as "defensive action against militias threatening regional stability." Analysts read it differently: a blunt reminder that ultimate military leverage in Yemen’s south still belongs to the coalition, not the flag-waving separatists who have styled themselves as Aden’s de-facto government.

Fallout on the Ground

Medical sources report at least 17 dead and 42 injured, all confirmed as STC security personnel. The council’s spokesman, Salem al-Awlaki, vowed revenge, calling the strikes "a declaration of war by our former partners."

Market reaction was swift. The Yemeni rial, which had stabilized at around 1,050 to the dollar in Aden, slid to 1,180 by dusk. Food trucks from Lahij province turned back, fearing roadblocks. In the cramped Al-Mansoura district, residents queued for propane gas, recalling the fuel shortages of 2019.

What Comes Next

Diplomats in Muscat say the UN’s newly appointed envoy, Hans Grundberg, is pushing for a revised power-sharing accord that sidelines neither the internationally recognized government nor the STC. Yet trust is thin. "The Saudis want a pliant partner in the south, not a rival capital," observed Farea al-Muslimi, a Yemen analyst at the Sana’a Center. "Today’s bombs ensure no one forgets that."