Saudi Arabia says military actions by STC harm stability of Yemen

Saudi Arabia on Thursday warned that recent military movements in Yemeni provinces by the Southern Transitional Council harm the interests of both the southern cause and the wider nation.

The STC, which calls for the restoration of an independent state in the south, recently took control of Hadhramaut and Mahra from other pro-government forces, effectively consolidating control over all southern provinces.

It said the move came after what it described as the failure of other pro-government factions and Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) “to launch” any serious campaign to push the Houthis from their northern strongholds, including Sanaa, Yemen's capital.

Saudi Arabia, which leads the anti-Houthi coalition in Yemen and hosts senior Yemeni government and PLC figures, condemned the STC takeover.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh said the storming of the regions was "carried out unilaterally and without the approval of the Presidential Leadership Council nor in co-ordination with the coalition's leadership", warning that such actions "resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of the Yemeni people with all of its segments, as well as the southern cause and the coalition's efforts".

The STC, the most powerful armed faction in southern Yemen, rejected earlier calls to withdraw from the two provinces and said its next target is Sanaa.

However