By Asaye Bankole

The Saudi Arabia–led coalition in Yemen has carried out airstrikes in the southern governorate of Dhale, saying it was targeting secessionist forces after their leader fled instead of boarding a plane scheduled to take him to peace talks in Riyadh.

In a statement issued early Wednesday, the coalition said the leader of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarous al-Zubaidi, was expected to depart from the Yemeni city of Aden on Tuesday night to attend talks aimed at ending the conflict between his group and Yemen’s internationally recognised government.

However, al-Zubaidi did not board the plane and instead “fled to an unknown location,” according to the coalition.

It said that during this period, the internationally recognised government and the coalition received intelligence indicating that al-Zubaidi had mobilised a large force, including armoured and combat vehicles, heavy and light weapons, and ammunition.

The force reportedly left Aden around midnight and was later located in Dhale governorate. The coalition said it carried out “pre-emptive strikes” at about 4 a.m. local time (01:00 GMT) to neutralise the forces and prevent what it described as al-Zubaidi’s attempt to escalate the conflict.

In response, the STC issued a statement urging Saudi Arabia to halt the air strikes, saying it had lost contact with its delegation in Riyadh.

The separatist group also said al-Zubaidi was in Aden, overseeing military and security operations in the city.

The council, which had initially backed Yemen’s internationally recognised government in its fight against the Houthi rebels who control northern Yemen, launched an offensive against Saudi-backed government forces in December in pursuit of an independent southern state.

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