The Lahj governorate in southern Yemen is witnessing acute security unrest amid escalating infighting among armed factions backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The confrontation has peaked between the so-called Security Belt forces and the Giants Brigades, as both sides vie for control of key military positions.
Yemeni sources report that the leadership of the Security Belt has declared open defiance, firmly refusing to hand over the strategically vital Rabat checkpoint and the Fifth Brigade camp. The standoff has plunged the area into severe security disarray, with rival factions trading accusations of betrayal and of monopolizing power and gains in occupied territories.
According to the sources, the deadlock has prompted official directives authorizing the seizure of these positions by force should voluntary handover fail—raising the prospect of an imminent armed confrontation.
In an effort to avert direct escalation, tribal mediations have moved in to contain the crisis and prevent the governorate from sliding into another round of internal fighting.
Public concern in Lahj is mounting that any clash would further aggravate already dire living and security conditions, amid the near-total absence of state authority and the dominance of rival armed groups over revenues and strategic sites.
Broader Shifts in Southern Yemen
More broadly, political and military developments across southern and eastern Yemen point to a decisive shift in Saudi-Emirati relations—from competition and influence-building to open exclusion.
Over the past two days, Yemeni sources reported that Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, head of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC), fled to Abu Dhabi after leaving Aden via the territory known as Somaliland.
This development followed Saudi moves aimed at dismantling the STC’s military and security structures in southern and eastern Yemen, effectively stripping the UAE of its dominance in those areas.
The sources added that al-Zubaidi’s flight came after hours of hesitation over responding to Saudi pressure to travel to Riyadh, before ultimately choosing to leave the country.
In the same context, a decision was issued to dissolve the STC—described by Yemeni sources as an explicit Saudi declaration withdrawing the group from the Emirati sphere of influence and a decisive blow to Abu Dhabi’s political and administrative clout in Yemen’s southern and eastern governorates.