Flights Suspended At Yemen's Aden Airport Amid Escalating Saudi-UAE Rift

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Cairo ~ Flights at Yemen's Aden International Airport were suspended on Thursday as escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and southern separatists spilled into aviation restrictions, underscoring growing fractures within the anti-Houthi coalition.

All commercial flights were temporarily halted, according to officials cited by Al Jazeera, amid confusion over new inspection requirements tied to flights between Aden and the UAE. While the UAE said it was“shocked” by the disruption, Saudi authorities later clarified that the restrictions applied only to UAE-bound routes.

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The suspension comes as political and military tensions intensify in southern Yemen, particularly involving the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist group seeking an independent southern state. Though formally part of the Saudi-led coalition, the STC has expanded its military footprint in the eastern provinces of Hadramout and al-Mahra-areas bordering Saudi Arabia and vital to regional security.

Riyadh has accused Abu Dhabi of backing and arming the STC to facilitate this expansion, allegations the UAE has firmly denied. The dispute deepened after Saudi Arabia struck what it said was a UAE-linked weapons shipment in the port city of Mukalla, prompting the Emirates to announce a voluntary withdrawal of its remaining“counterterrorism” forces from Yemen.

Yemen's internationally recognised government has warned the STC against further entrenchment. On Wednesday, Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad al-Alimi said any additional moves by the group would have“serious consequences”. Saudi Arabia has also declared the STC a terrorist organisation, marking a sharp reversal from earlier cooperation against Houthi forces.

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