Sudden Flight of Head of Southern Transitional Council in Yemen

According to Rokna, the coalition supporting the Aden government (backed by Saudi Arabia) announced that “Aidrous al-Zubaidi,” head of the Southern Transitional Council, despite being officially notified to attend negotiations in Riyadh within the next 48 hours, refused to board the plane bound for Saudi Arabia and fled to an undisclosed location.

These negotiations, under Saudi supervision, were planned to prevent escalation of recent clashes.

According to Arab48, Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, stated that on January 4, 2026, the coalition command invited al-Zubaidi to attend a meeting with Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Council, and coalition commanders to discuss the reasons behind the escalation of hostilities and recent attacks by the Transitional Council forces on Hadramout and Al-Mahra governorates.

Al-Maliki added that al-Zubaidi initially promised to attend on January 6, and the Transitional Council delegation was prepared for the flight. However, the Yemen Airways flight transporting the delegation was delayed by more than three hours.

Meanwhile, information reached the Aden government and the Saudi-led coalition indicating that al-Zubaidi had mobilized a large number of forces, including armored vehicles, heavy and light equipment, and ammunition, from the “Hadid” and “Al-Suwailh” camps toward Al-Dhalea governorate.

Ultimately, the flight proceeded, and several members of the Transitional Council arrived in Riyadh; however, al-Zubaidi was not among them and subsequently disappeared, without his colleagues knowing his whereabouts.

Al-Maliki added that al-Zubaidi distributed large quantities of weapons and ammunition among dozens of forces under the command of “Moamen al-Saqqaf” and “Mukhtar al-Noubi” in the city of Aden to incite security chaos within the city.

In response to these movements, “Abdulrahman al-Mahrami,” Deputy Head of the Presidential Council, called on the “Deraa Al-Watan” forces and coalition troops to maintain security in Aden and prevent any internal clashes to safeguard the lives and property of civilians.

According to al-Maliki, coalition forces monitored the movements of units leaving the camps and, upon their deployment in buildings near the “Al-Zind” camp in Al-Dhalea governorate, carried out limited strikes early today in coordination with Aden government forces and “Deraa Al-Watan” units to halt their advance and prevent further escalation.

The Saudi-led coalition emphasized that it will continue cooperating with the Aden government and local authorities to support security and stability and will stand against any forces targeting cities and civilians.

Residents of Aden and Al-Dhalea were also urged to avoid camps and military gatherings to ensure their safety.

The Transitional Council had previously announced its readiness to attend the Riyadh conference and praised Saudi efforts to facilitate dialogue.