US EditionYemen separatist leader flees with Emirati help, Saudi coalition says
Aidarous al-Zubaidi fled Yemen after treason charges, using a covert boat and flight route supervised by UAE officers, escalating Saudi-UAE tensions over Yemen separatists.
- On January 08, 2026, the Saudi-led coalition said intelligence showed Aidarous al-Zubaidi fled Aden late on January 7 by boat and was flown to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
- The Presidential Leadership Council charged Zubaidi with high treason and removed him after last month's STC offensive alarmed Riyadh and triggered a Saudi response.
- Maritime records show the vessel switched off identification systems as Zubaidi boarded Bamedhaf after midnight, sailed to Berbera, then flew on an Ilyushin Il-76 to Mogadishu under UAE supervision.
- Saudi officials publicly detailed their version of events, accusing the United Arab Emirates of orchestrating a covert extraction that intensified tensions; Riyadh struck an Emirati shipment to Mukalla and increased airstrikes on separatist positions, with Saudi media amplifying the claims.
- Analysts warn the split could prolong instability and threaten regional security and Red Sea shipping lanes after Yemen's conflict claimed more than 150,000 lives.
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Riyadh says Yemeni separatist leader has fled
• Saudi-backed coalition tracks Al Zubaidi’s escape by boat, then by plane• Presidential council ousts him; pursues high treason charges• Deep rifts emerge within Southern Transitional Council ADEN: The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Thursday that southern separatist leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, has fled the country by boat, as government forces advanced on the port city of Aden. The coalition said in a statement that Zubaidi travelled fr…
Saudi Arabia blames the United Arab Emirates for not having held planned mediation talks on the civil war in Yemen.
What We’re Watching: Yemeni separatist leader flees to Abu Dhabi, & More
Yemeni separatist leader flees, exacerbating UAE-Saudi Arabia tensionsYesterday, we reported that Yemen’s civil war is exposing tensions between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The bad blood looks set to get worse, after the UAE – according to the Saudis – helped the separatist Southern Transitional Council leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi flee to Somaliland, an autonomous region of Somalia, before taking him to Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, Saudi-backed Yemeni for…
DECRYPTAGE - The boat flight of their leader, Aïdarous al-Zubaidi, to the United Arab Emirates marks the victory of the pro-Saudi factions in the civil war.
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