Al‑Wadi‘ah Border Crossing Closed
Following recent developments in eastern Yemen and the advance of the Southern Transitional Council toward northern Hadhramaut, the Saudi government has halted operations at the Al‑Wadi‘ah border crossing between Saudi Arabia and northern Yemen.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia’s closure of the crossing coincided with the deployment of Al‑Dara‘ al‑Watan forces and armed groups loyal to Hashem al‑Ahmar (a parliament member and former Yemeni army officer under Ali Abdullah Saleh) along the road in the al‑Abr area, blocking vehicles from heading toward the border.
Currently, the al‑Abr region and the 23rd Mika Brigade base are under the control of Al‑Dara‘ al‑Watan forces. Saudi Arabia is reportedly fortifying this position to support unspecified security measures. It appears Riyadh is preparing to counter the recent advances of the Southern Transitional Council in Hadhramaut and Shabwa provinces and to reclaim oil‑rich areas.
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