News - Yemen: Yemeni academic Abdulmalik Isa stated that claims of “withdrawals” by Saudi or UAE occupation forces from Yemen’s southern provinces are media misinformation.

He emphasized that the core of the conflict is an American–Saudi–Emirati guardianship, driven by control over ports, sea routes, and the protection of the Zionist entity and its maritime interests—not any question of “legitimacy” as falsely portrayed.

Speaking on Almasirah TV’s Sada Al-Khabar program, Isa explained that the US and its Zionist ally prioritize control over the Red Sea and Arabian Sea navigation, linking developments in Yemen to the situation in Somalia and the Horn of Africa. 

He noted that recognition of the so-called “Republic of Somaliland” fits this same agenda, while local tools in Yemen are being used to dismantle the state and divide its people.

Isa added that the proliferation of armed groups in southern provinces, such as the Southern Elite, does not weaken Sana’a but exposes the true aim of the aggression: to plunge occupied provinces into chaos and portray Yemen as a failed state, paving the way for political and economic sanctions.

Regarding recent statements by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi about a so-called “UAE withdrawal,” Isa explained that the UAE does not confront Saudi Arabia directly but acts through proxies like the “Southern Transitional Council”, which functions as a small mercenary force in a broader UAE-led project under US oversight. 

Any statements from this council are essentially messages from Abu Dhabi to Saudi Arabia, signaling that UAE influence in southern and eastern Yemen cannot be bypassed.

He stressed that Saudi Arabia, if serious about reducing UAE influence, would first need to address the position of the Transitional Council forces in Aden, Hadramout, and Al-Mahrah. 

In reality, roles are being distributed under the American umbrella, preventing a unified Yemeni state and keeping the south a theater of conflict and disorder.

Isa highlighted that Hadramout is the “key” in this struggle, with Saudi Arabia treating it as a red line and a matter of national security, seeking control over its ports, particularly Al-Mukalla, as part of the broader contest for ports and maritime access from the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea.

He concluded that UAE “withdrawals” are purely theatrical, with the occupation remaining in Aden and other bases, directly or through undisclosed forces, and cannot happen without US direction, serving Washington’s regional project and protecting the Zionist entity.

Isa reiterated Sana’a’s position that the aggression is unrelated to legitimacy claims and is instead an assault on Yemen’s sovereignty and a restoration of foreign guardianship, calling for the complete exit of foreign forces from Yemen and affirming the Yemeni people’s awareness as a guarantee to thwart all lies and conspiracies.

This clarification comes amid escalating disputes between Saudi and UAE forces in southern and eastern Yemen, increasing competition over ports and maritime access, alongside attempts to impose divisive realities serving the American–Zionist project in the region.

Southern and eastern Yemen remain under UAE and Saudi occupation, controlled through local proxies and US oversight. The intervention aims to dominate strategic ports and sea routes, protect the Zionist entity’s interests, and keep the south unstable, rather than support governance or legitimacy.