News - Yemen: The head of the Political Bureau of the Supreme Council of the Southern Revolutionary Movement, Madram Harsi Abu Sarraj, stated that the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) has turned toward normalization with the Zionist entity as a result of deep political bankruptcy and its failure to secure any genuine popular or political allies.

In a special interview with Almasirah TV, Abu Sarraj said the STC’s declared intention to establish relations with the Zionist entity reflects its collapse and desperation, pushing it to seek support from the Zionist enemy “at any cost” to advance external agendas.

He noted that such coordination is not new, explaining that STC leaders had previously met Zionist delegations in the United States through an American intermediary. Abu Sarraj added that the Zionist enemy itself has acknowledged sending delegations to meet UAE-backed mercenaries in southern Yemen, confirming the depth and danger of this coordination.

Abu Sarraj stressed that the Zionist aggression on Gaza opened new pathways for targeting Yemen, in addition to coordination that existed prior to the Al-Aqsa Flood operation. He said the Zionist entity is now directing its efforts against Sana’a, using the STC and other UAE tools as instruments to implement its plans.

He firmly rejected any separatist project in the south that comes at the expense of the Palestinian cause or through normalization with the Zionist entity, emphasizing that the free people of the southern provinces have a long history of supporting Palestine and liberation causes and will not allow these principles to be undermined.

Abu Sarraj pointed out that residents of the southern provinces maintain a clear and vocal rejection of the STC’s agendas, as reflected in popular movements and social media, despite the widespread repression, arrests, shootings, intimidation, and bribery carried out by STC forces.

He accused the STC of operating a misleading media apparatus aimed at falsifying facts and distorting reality, while southern activists continue to reject Zionist projects and attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause in Yemen.

Abu Sarraj also revealed that the STC is moving to form special committees to monitor southern activists and pursue anyone who criticizes the UAE or attacks US, Zionist, and Saudi plans in Yemen, describing current repression as unprecedented, even compared to previous decades.

Referring to protests in Aden, he said citizens demanding basic services were confronted with armored vehicles and tanks, while Hadramawt witnessed widespread popular opposition to attempts by the STC to impose its projects.

He asserted that STC policies do not represent the free people of the south and that residents of Aden and other southern and eastern provinces continue to suffer under its rule. According to Abu Sarraj, the STC understands that it lacks any real popular base and instead relies on regionally backed military force to impose a widely rejected agenda.

In a broader context, Abu Sarraj stated that all Saudi- and UAE-affiliated factions are working to pass US–Zionist–Emirati agendas, noting that their salaries, arms, and appointments are determined by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, obligating them to serve their sponsors even at the expense of Yemen’s national and Arab security.

He also accused Tariq Affash of playing a “treacherous role” against the Yemeni people, saying he now controls strategic areas and weapon stockpiles solely due to foreign backing.

Abu Sarraj further accused Saudi and Emirati mercenaries of attempting to shift accusations of treason onto Sana’a as part of a media war, calling on Sana’a to target foreign military bases established on Yemeni islands in the south, west, and east. He argued that such strikes would not harm national assets but would target zones of foreign occupation enabling Zionist control.

He concluded by saying that Sana’a, which has supported Palestine and confronted the Zionist enemy, deserves the support of all Yemenis and remains capable of liberating all Yemeni territory from occupation and its tools.

The statements come amid escalating regional tensions linked to the Zionist war on Gaza and growing accusations of normalization and covert coordination between regional actors and the Zionist entity. 

In southern Yemen, political and popular divisions have deepened as UAE-backed forces face increasing criticism over repression, foreign alignment, and efforts to impose separatist projects.

Observers note that the issue of normalization with the Zionist enemy has become a central point of contention, intersecting with Yemen’s broader struggle over sovereignty, foreign intervention, and support for the Palestinian cause.