News - Yemen: The security situation in Hadhramaut has sharply deteriorated as the Southern Transitional Council (STC) escalates its offensive to encircle the headquarters of the so-called First Military Region in Seiyun.

Pro-aggression media reported on Wednesday that STC forces and allied factions carried out a large-scale assault on the military base in Wadi Hadhramaut, signaling the potential for unprecedented clashes between occupation-backed proxies in Yemen’s eastern governorate.

Sources said the STC has set up multiple checkpoints around the First Military Region’s main compound and is attempting to completely surround it, following hours of infiltration and skirmishes in Seiyun city. The military responded with artillery fire targeting STC positions across several neighborhoods.

The STC’s recent advance into Seiyun, reaching as close as Sah district near the military headquarters, has brought heavy weapons, including tanks, into urban areas. The resulting violence has forced the suspension of schools and halted normal activity throughout the city, as clashes continue from early morning.

Observers noted that Hadhramaut has entered a “dark tunnel” as the expansion of conflicts between occupation-backed forces—including the STC’s seizure of facilities at Petromasila in Wadi Masila two days ago—has shifted local power balances, triggering an open confrontation in Yemen’s largest oil-producing governorate.

Casualties have reportedly occurred on both sides, while movement of the wounded remains difficult due to road closures and disrupted communications within Seiyun.

Political analysts warn that the clashes are not only about local control but also a competition over economic resources, particularly oil facilities in Wadi Masila and surrounding areas. The disruption of oil and gas operations, combined with threats to strategic ports and infrastructure, further undermines civilian safety and local livelihoods.

In a significant escalation, the STC has now taken full control of Seiyun International Airport, a vital administrative and transport hub. Pro-aggression media circulated images showing STC vehicles inside the airport grounds, indicating that the takeover occurred with minimal resistance, raising questions about potential coordination or failures that enabled the airport’s capture.

The airport’s fall coincides with intensified STC attempts to storm the First Military Region headquarters, where heavy fighting continues in the surrounding areas. Analysts describe the developments as a qualitative shift in the ongoing conflict among aggression proxies, with control over Hadhramaut’s strategic infrastructure and energy resources at the center of the battle.

Hadhramaut, Yemen’s largest eastern province and a key oil-producing region, has increasingly become a flashpoint amid competition between local proxies of the US–Saudi–UAE aggression. The so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC), backed by Emirati interests, has been consolidating control over strategic infrastructure, including oil facilities and ports, escalating clashes with Saudi-backed forces. The ongoing struggle reflects the broader fragmentation of authority in Yemen’s occupied areas, where local and foreign actors vie for political, economic, and military dominance, often at the expense of civilians and vital services.