Saudi Arabia says Yemen group should withdraw its forces from seized provinces

Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it remains hopeful that Yemen's main southern separatist group will end an escalation that has given it broad control across the south, deepening uncertainties in a country already divided between two administrations since civil war erupted over a decade ago.

In a foreign ministry statement, the kingdom described the military operations by Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) - through which the group seized the eastern provinces of Hadramout and Mahra earlier this month - as an "unjustified escalation."

"The kingdom remains hopeful that the public interest will prevail through ending the escalation by the Southern Transitional Council and the withdrawal of its forces from the two governorates in an urgent and orderly manner," the statement said.

The UAE-backed STC forces were initially part of the Sunni Muslim Saudi-led alliance that intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Iran-aligned Houthis.

But the STC turned on the government and sought self-rule in the south, including the major port city of Aden where the Saudi-backed administration is headquartered.

A joint Saudi-Emirati military delegation arrived in Aden on December 12 to discuss measures aimed at defusing tensions. Saudi Arabia said the teams were sent to put "the necessary arrangements" to ensure the return of STC forces to their previous positions outside the two provinces.

The kingdom added, however, that these efforts remain in progress to restore the situation to its previous state.

Yemen has been marred by civil war since 2014, through which the Houthis took control of the northern part of the country including the capital, Sanaa, pushing the Saudi-backed government to flee south and headquarter in the port city of Aden.