The Saudi-backed governor of Hadramawt in Yemen said on Friday that a "peaceful operation" would be launched to reclaim military positions seized by southern separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates.
"This operation is not a declaration of war, nor an attempt to escalate tensions," Salem Al-Khanbashi said in a statement reported by the official Saba Net news agency, shortly after he was also appointed to lead the Saudi-backed National Shield forces in Hadramawt.
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) seized large parts of the country from its internationally recognised government last month in a move viewed by Saudi Arabia as a threat to its own interests.
The UAE said Tuesday it was pulling its remaining forces from Yemen after Saudi Arabia backed calls from Yemen’s presidential council for UAE forces to leave the country within 24 hours.
Read moreUAE to withdraw forces from Yemen amid crisis with Saudi Arabia
The announcement followed a Saudi-led coalition air strike on the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla over an alleged shipment of weapons for separatist forces from the Emirates.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters and AFP)
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