Yemen's southern separatists welcomed on Saturday a call for dialogue by Saudi Arabia to end a recent military escalation, a potential sign that an unusually public confrontation between the kingdom and the United Arab Emirates may be easing.
The fast-moving crisis in Yemen has opened a major feud between the two Gulf powers and fractured a coalition of forces, headed by Yemen's internationally recognized government, which is fighting the Iran-backed Houthis.
The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council has for years been part of that government, which controls southern and eastern Yemen and is backed by Gulf states, but last month STC forces suddenly seized swathes of territory.
The crisis triggered the biggest split in decades between formerly close allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as years of divergence on critical issues came to a head, threatening to upend the regional order.
The STC said in a statement on Saturday that the Saudi initiative was a "genuine opportunity for serious dialogue" that could safeguard "the aspirations of the southern people."
Saudi-backed forces reclaim Mukalla
The STC's statement came hours after Yemen's Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government said it had retaken control of Mukalla, the key eastern port and capital of Hadramout province, from the southern separatists who seized it last month.
Rapid government gains since Friday have reversed many of the STC gains last month and cast doubt on the viability of its intention to hold a referendum on independence within two years.
Saudi-backed forces had already taken control of key locations in Hadramout, a large province with stretches of desert along the Saudi border.
STC forces blocked roads leading to Aden from the northern provinces, residents said. The group appealed for regional and international leaders to intervene against what it described as a "Saudi-backed military escalation."
In a statement, it added that northern Islamist factions - an apparent reference to the Islah party that is part of the internationally recognized government - had targeted civilians and vital infrastructure.
The UAE, the main STC supporter, urged restraint, saying it was "deeply concerned" about the escalation in Yemen.
Yemen, split for a decade between warring regions, sits at a highly strategic location between the world's top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait that guards the vital sea route between Europe and Asia.
Yemen calls for Saudi Arabia hold peace summit with UAE, Southern Transition Council
Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council, submitted a request for Saudi Arabia to host a peace conference in Riyadh for all factions involved in the recent flare-up of violence in southern Yemen, Yemeni state-owned outlet Saba News Agency reported early on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia welcomed the request in an announcement released by the Saudi Foreign Affairs Ministry, stating that the only way to resolve the conflict is “through dialogue within the framework of a comprehensive political solution in Yemen.”
The ministry emphasized the importance of “building on the close relation between the two brotherly countries” and continuing Saudi efforts “to support and strengthen the security and stability of the Republic of Yemen.”
Tarek Saleh, a member of the Saudi-backed Yemen Presidential Council, met with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Salman and exchanged viewpoints on Yemen.
They discussed means to bolster joint efforts to support the stability of the country and the region's security, according to a post on X by the Yemeni official early Sunday.
Aden airport reopens following temporary closure amid conflict
Aden airport, the main transport hub for areas of Yemen outside Houthi control, was closed on Thursday after a dispute over new restrictions announced by the internationally recognized government on flights with the UAE, but flights are due to resume on Sunday, officials at Yemen's national airline said.
The STC and Saudi Arabia have accused each other of responsibility for shutting off air traffic. The STC, in its statement on Saturday, said southern Yemen was being subjected to a land, sea, and air blockade.
The crisis began early last month when the STC seized swathes of territory, including Hadramout, establishing firm control over the whole territory of the former state of South Yemen that merged with the north in 1990.
The leadership of the internationally recognized government, which had been based in Aden and included several ministers from the STC, departed for Saudi Arabia, which regarded the southern move as a threat to its security.
Fellow Gulf monarchy Qatar, which has long had regional policy differences with the UAE, said it welcomed efforts by Yemen's internationally recognized government to address the southern issue.
How far the feud between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over their differences on regional security bleeds into other issues may become plainer over the weekend as both countries join a scheduled OPEC meeting to determine the group's oil output policy.
Early this week, Saudi Arabia bombed a base in Hadramout and asked all remaining UAE forces in Yemen to depart, calling this a red line for its security, and the UAE complied.
The STC declaration on Friday that it wants a two-year transition period leading to a referendum on independence for a new South Arabian state was the movement's clearest indication yet of its intention to secede.