Saudi coalition says separatist leader fled Yemen with UAE help, advances to Aden

A billboard displays an image of Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC), who, according to the Saudi-backed coalition, fled to an unknown destination, in Aden, Yemen January 7, 2026. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman

ADEN, Jan 8 (Reuters) - The Saudi-led ‌coalition in Yemen said on Thursday that the United Arab Emirates had spirited a separatist leader out of the country by boat in a dramatic twist to a rift ‌between the Gulf powers, as Saudi-backed forces advanced to the port of Aden after losing ground there.

The escape of Aidarous al-Zubaidi, head of a UAE-backed southern separatist ‌group, couldexacerbate tensionsbetween Saudi Arabia and the UAE, global oil heavyweights and both close allies of the United States.