United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has published images from joint military exercises conducted with Saudi Arabia and Qatar in early February. According to the statement, U.S. Marines and the Royal Saudi Naval Forces took part in the “Native Defender” drill aimed at enhancing combat coordination.
In recent years, Africa has become a key arena for competition among major and middle powers, each aiming to expand their political and economic influence. This trend is driven by motives such as the continent’s rich natural resources, including mines and rare earth elements, leading to intense rivalry and proxy wars like those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. The main losers are often the host countries’ interests and their populations. Sudan exemplifies this trend, notably with the UAE’s involvement. The Horn of Africa—comprising Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, and Ethiopia—holds strategic importance due to its proximity to the Red Sea and its role in global trade routes. Its closeness to Yemen and the Bab al-Mandab Strait further amplifies competition, especially among Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), alongside the Eskan and Prince Sultan air bases near Riyadh, operates another facility at the port of Yanbu in western Saudi Arabia, known as L.S.A. Jenkins.
With Saudi air support, forces of Yemen’s government-in-exile have taken control of the provinces of Abyan and Aden.
Last night, Saudi warplanes carried out airstrikes on Jabal Radfan in Lahij Province, the city of Al-Dhale, the Zand base, and areas around the village of Zubeid in Al-Dhale Province. The bombings resulted in casualties among Southern fighters and also civilians.
Saudi Arabian fighter jets carried out airstrikes early this morning on targets in the port city of Mukalla, the capital of Hadhramaut province.
Fighting persists in the Khurd Valley area of southern Hadhramaut, where tribal coalition fighters aligned with Saudi Arabia are surrounded by southern forces loyal to the UAE.
Following a warning message from Saudi authorities to the Southern Transitional Council and the flight of Saudi army Apache helicopters over the northern desert of Hadhramaut province, southern fighters pulled back from the al‑Abr–Khasha road and the al‑Khasha area, handing these positions over to Al‑Dara‘ al‑Watan forces.
The third session of the trilateral joint committee between Iran, Saudi Arabia, and China was convened on Tuesday, December 18, in Tehran.
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.
After a period of tension and power struggles between Southern Transitional Council (STC) fighters, Hadhramaut tribes, and Islah Party elements, the southerners—backed by the UAE—launched an operation yesterday under the name “Promising Future” to seize northern areas of Hadhramaut province. They marched toward Seiyun and swiftly took control of all military bases in Wadi Hadhramaut and key sites including Seiyun, the provincial capital, with minimal resistance.
In a recent meeting of the international coalition—comprising the European Union, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—chaired by Abdu Sharif, the British ambassador to Yemen, the establishment of the Yemen Maritime Security Partnership (YMSP) was announced.
