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The Saudi-led coalition warned Saturday it would back Yemen’s government in any military confrontation with separatist forces, as Riyadh urged them to withdraw “peacefully” from recently-seized provinces.The statements came a day after reported Saudi air strikes on separatist positions in Yemen’s Hadramawt province — and after Washington called for restraint in the rapidly escalating conflict.General Turki al-Malki, the spokesman for the coalition, warned of intervention if efforts to de-escalate the situation failed because of the separatists’ actions.”The coalition forces affirm that any military movements undermining these efforts will be dealt with directly and immediately to protect civilian lives,” he said, according to the Saudi news agency SPA.He emphasised the coalition’s support for the internationally-recognised Yemeni government and called on all parties to “bear national responsibility, exercise restraint, and respond to efforts for peaceful solutions”, SPA reported.Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman posted on X that troops from the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) should “peacefully hand over” two regional governorates to the government.”It’s time,” he posted, “at this sensitive moment, to let reason prevail by withdrawing from the two provinces and doing so peacefully.”The STC had warned on Friday that they were undeterred after strikes blamed on Saudi Arabia hit their positions, in the latest escalation since they seized large swathes of territory in the Hadramawt and Mahrah provinces.There were no immediate reports of casualties in the strikes.In recent weeks the UAE-backed STC, which seeks to revive the formerly independent state of South Yemen, swept through swathes of the country, expelling other government forces and their allies.Since the takeover, supporters of the separatists have been gathering regularly in cities including Aden to demand they declare independence, with the largest rallies taking place every Friday.On Saturday, hundreds of Yemeni tribesmen gathered in Aden to ask the STC’s leaders to announce the independence of South Yemen, according to the separatist-affiliated Aden Independent Channel. The channel aired footage of a large crowd marching and waving the South Yemen independence flag alongside the UAE’s flag.Experts say their successes have embarrassed regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, the main backer of the internationally-recognised Yemeni government.Farea al-Muslimi, from the Chatham House think tank in London, told AFP that the STC had crossed Riyadh’s “red lines” and that the situation could quickly get worse.”It is one bad thing to humiliate Saudi Arabia. And it is another much worse thing to humiliate Saudi Arabia publicly. And that’s exactly what they did,” he said.- US urges restraint -In Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “We urge restraint and continued diplomacy, with a view to reaching a lasting solution.”Following Friday’s raids, Yemen’s government urged the Saudi-led coalition to support its forces in Hadramawt, after separatists seized most of the country’s largest province.The government asked the coalition to “take all necessary military measures to protect innocent Yemeni civilians in Hadramawt province and support the armed forces”, the official Yemeni news agency said.A Yemeni military official said on Friday that around 15,000 Saudi-backed fighters were amassed near the Saudi border but had not been given orders to advance on separatist-held territory.The areas where they were deployed are located at the edges of territory seized in recent weeks by the UAE-backed STC.Separatist advances have added pressure on ties between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which support rival groups within Yemen’s government.The government is a patchwork of groups that includes the separatists, and is held together by shared opposition to the Iran-backed Houthis.The Houthis pushed the government out of Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014 and secured control over most of the north.On Friday, the UAE welcomed Saudi efforts to support security in Yemen, as the two Gulf allies sought to present a united front despite backing different sides in the fighting.

The Saudi-led coalition warned Saturday it would back Yemen’s government in any military confrontation with separatist forces and urged them to withdraw “peacefully” from recently-seized provinces.The statements came a day after reported Saudi air strikes on separatist positions in Yemen’s Hadramawt province — and after Washington called for restraint in the rapidly escalating conflict.General Turki al-Malki, the spokesman for the coalition, said they would act “directly and at the appropriate moment… to protect civilian life”, according to the Saudi news agency SPA.Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman posted on X that troops from the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) should “peacefully hand over” two regional governorates to the government.”It’s time,” he posted, “at this sensitive moment, to let reason prevail by withdrawing from the two provinces and doing so peacefully.”The STC had warned on Friday that they were undeterred after strikes blamed on Saudi Arabia hit their positions, in the latest escalation since they seized large swathes of territory in the Hadramawt and Mahrah provinces.There were no immediate reports of casualties in the strikes.In recent weeks, separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates and seeking to revive the formerly independent state of South Yemen have made territorial gains.On Saturday, hundreds of Yemeni tribesmen gathered in Aden to ask the STC’s leaders to announce the independence of South Yemen, according to the separatist-affiliated Aden Independent Channel. The channel aired footage of a large crowd marching and waving the South Yemen independence flag alongside the UAE’s flag.Experts say their successes have embarrassed regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, the main backer of the internationally-recognised Yemeni government.Farea al-Muslimi, from the Chatham House think tank in London, told AFP that the STC had crossed Riyadh’s “red lines” and that the situation could quickly get worse.”It is one bad thing to humiliate Saudi Arabia. And it is another much worse thing to humiliate Saudi Arabia publicly. And that’s exactly what they did,” he said.- US urges restraint -In Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “We urge restraint and continued diplomacy, with a view to reaching a lasting solution.”Following Friday’s raids, Yemen’s government urged the Saudi-led coalition to support its forces in Hadramawt, after separatists seized most of the country’s largest province.The government asked the coalition to “take all necessary military measures to protect innocent Yemeni civilians in Hadramawt province and support the armed forces”, the official Yemeni news agency said.A Yemeni military official said on Friday that around 15,000 Saudi-backed fighters were amassed near the Saudi border but had not been given orders to advance on separatist-held territory.The areas where they were deployed are located at the edges of territory seized in recent weeks by the UAE-backed STC.”We have not received military instructions to move towards the two provinces,” the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.Separatist advances have added pressure on ties between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which support rival groups within Yemen’s government.The government is a patchwork of groups that includes the separatists, and is held together by shared opposition to the Iran-backed Houthis.The Houthis pushed the government out of Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014 and secured control over most of the north.The STC told AFP on Friday that Saudi Arabia had conducted two strikes, while a video aired on separatist-affiliated media showed a plume of smoke rising from the desert.The raids followed area clashes on Thursday between the separatists and a tribal leader close to Saudi Arabia, which the STC said killed two separatist fighters.On Friday, the UAE welcomed Saudi efforts to support security in Yemen, as the two Gulf allies sought to present a united front despite backing different sides in the fighting.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet US President Donald Trump in Florida on Monday, an Israeli official told AFP, in what is seen as a crucial visit for the next steps of the fragile Gaza truce plan.It will be Netanyahu’s fifth visit to see key ally Trump in the United States this year.His trip comes as the Trump administration and regional mediators push to proceed to the second stage of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.An Israeli official on Saturday said Netanyahu would leave for the US on December 28 and meet with Trump a day later in Florida, without providing a specific location.Trump told reporters in mid-December that Netanyahu would probably visit him in Florida during the Christmas holidays.”He would like to see me. We haven’t set it up formally, but he’d like to see me,” Trump said before leaving for his Mar-a-Lago resort. Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported on Wednesday that a wide range of regional issues was expected to be discussed, including Iran, talks on an Israel-Syria security agreement, the ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon and the next stages of the Gaza deal.- ‘Going nowhere’ -Concerning Gaza, the timing of the meeting is “very significant”, said Gershon Baskin, the co-head of peacebuilding commission the Alliance for Two States, who has taken part in back-channel negotiations with Hamas.”Phase one is basically over, there’s one remaining Israeli deceased hostage which they (Hamas) are having difficulty finding,” he told AFP.”Phase two has to begin, it’s even late and I think the Americans realise that it’s late because Hamas has had too much time to re-establish its presence and this is certainly not a situation that the Americans want to leave in place,” he added.Progress in moving to the second phase of October’s Gaza ceasefire agreement, which was brokered by Washington and its regional allies, has so far been slow.Both sides allege frequent ceasefire violations and mediators fear that Israel and Hamas alike are stalling.Under the next stages, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, an interim authority is to govern the Palestinian territory instead of Hamas, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be deployed.It also includes a provision for Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas to lay down its weapons — a major sticking point.On Friday, US news outlet Axios reported that the meeting between Trump and Netanyahu was key to advancing to the next steps of the deal.Citing White House officials, Axios said that the Trump administration wanted to announce the Palestinian technocratic government for Gaza and the ISF as soon as possible.It reported that senior Trump officials were growing exasperated “as Netanyahu has taken steps to undermine the fragile ceasefire and stall the peace process”.”There are more and more signs that the American administration is getting frustrated with Netanyahu,” said Yossi Mekelberg, a Middle East expert at London-based think-tank Chatham House.”The question is what it’s going to do about it,” he added, “because phase two is right now going nowhere.”- Iran tops agenda -While the Trump administration is keen for progress on Gaza, analysts said the prospect of Iran rebuilding its nuclear programme and ballistic missile capabilities was likely to top the agenda for Netanyahu.”All the news that we’ve heard in the Israeli media over the last two weeks about Iran building up its missiles and being a threat to Israel is all part of a planned strategy of deflecting attention from Gaza to the issue that Netanyahu loves to talk about which is Iran,” said Baskin.In June, Israel launched strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites as well as residential areas.Iran responded with drone and missile strikes on Israel, and later on in the 12-day war, the United States joined Israel in targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.Mekelberg shared the view that Netanyahu could be attempting to shift attention from Gaza onto Iran.With Israel entering an election year, Mekelberg said with regards to the Trump meeting, Netanyahu would be “taking a defensive approach, to minimise what can be difficult for him coming back home”.”Everything is connected to staying in power,” he said of the long-time Israeli premier.

Saudi Arabia warned Saturday it would back Yemen’s government in any military confrontation with separatist forces and urged them to withdraw “peacefully” from recently-seized provinces.The statements came a day after reported Saudi air strikes on separatist positions in Yemen’s Hadramawt province — and after Washington called for restraint in the rapidly escalating conflict.General Turki al-Malki, the spokesman for the Riyadh-led groups, said they would act “directly and at the appropriate moment … to protect civilian life”, according to the Saudi news agency SPA.Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman posted on X that troops from the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) should “peacefully hand over” two regional governorates to the government.”It’s time,” he posted, “at this sensitive moment, to let reason prevail by withdrawing from the two provinces and doing so peacefully.”The STC had warned on Friday that they were undeterred after strikes blamed on Saudi Arabia hit their positions, in the latest escalation since they seized large swathes of territory in the Hadramawt and Mahrah provinces.There were no immediate reports of casualties in the strikes.In recent weeks, separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates and seeking to revive the formerly independent state of South Yemen have made territorial gains.Experts say their successes have embarrassed regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, the main backer of the internationally-recognised Yemeni government.Farea al-Muslimi, from the Chatham House think tank in London, told AFP that the STC had crossed Riyadh’s “red lines” and that the situation could quickly get worse.”It is one bad thing to humiliate Saudi Arabia. And it is another much worse thing to humiliate Saudi Arabia publicly. And that’s exactly what they did,” he said.- US urges restraint -In Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “We urge restraint and continued diplomacy, with a view to reaching a lasting solution.”Following Friday’s raids, Yemen’s government urged the Saudi-led coalition to support its forces in Hadramawt, after separatists seized most of the country’s largest province.The government asked the coalition to “take all necessary military measures to protect innocent Yemeni civilians in Hadramawt province and support the armed forces”, the official Yemeni news agency said.A Yemeni military official said on Friday that around 15,000 Saudi-backed fighters were amassed near the Saudi border but had not been given orders to advance on separatist-held territory.The areas where they were deployed are located at the edges of territory seized in recent weeks by the UAE-backed STC.”We have not received military instructions to move towards the two provinces,” the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.Separatist advances have added pressure on ties between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which support rival groups within Yemen’s government.The government is a patchwork of groups that includes the separatists, and is held together by shared opposition to the Iran-backed Houthis.The Houthis pushed the government out of Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014 and secured control over most of the north.The STC told AFP on Friday that Saudi Arabia had conducted two strikes, while a video aired on separatist-affiliated media showed a plume of smoke rising from the desert.The raids followed area clashes on Thursday between the separatists and a tribal leader close to Saudi Arabia, which the STC said killed two separatist fighters.On Friday, the UAE welcomed Saudi efforts to support security in Yemen, as the two Gulf allies sought to present a united front despite backing different sides in the fighting.