Saudi Coalition Accuses UAE of Aiding Separatist Escape

Saudi Arabia's military coalition in Yemen accused the United Arab Emirates on Thursday of assisting a prominent separatist leader in fleeing the country, intensifying a growing divide between the two Gulf allies amid ongoing conflict in the war-torn nation.

The Saudi-led coalition stated that Aidarous al-Zubaidi, head of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), escaped Yemen by boat to Somaliland early Wednesday, then boarded a flight from there to Mogadishu, Somalia, before arriving at a military airport in Abu Dhabi. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki described the operation as involving UAE officers who supervised al-Zubaidi and his companions during the journey. The plane, similar to those used in conflict zones like Ethiopia and Libya, reportedly disabled its transponder over the Gulf of Oman before reactivating it near Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, according to the coalition's account. Al-Zubaidi faces treason charges from Yemen's internationally recognized government for his role in recent separatist advances.

The allegations came after al-Zubaidi failed to attend scheduled crisis talks in Riyadh on Wednesday, where he was expected to discuss...