Dubai: Saudi warplanes launched more than 15 airstrikes on the home province of Yemeni separatist leader Aidaros Alzubidi on Wednesday, following his failure to appear for scheduled peace negotiations in Riyadh.

A Yemeni official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, reported that the strikes in al-Dhale governorate specifically targeted the residences of prominent commanders loyal to Alzubidi. The bombardment marks a sharp escalation in tensions between the Saudi-led coalition and the Southern Transitional Council (STC), the UAE-backed group headed by Alzubidi.

The Saudi-led coalition confirmed the military activity, characterising the operation as "limited" strikes. In a statement, the coalition further claimed that Alzubidi had "fled to an unknown location" instead of travelling to the Saudi capital for the talks.

The absence of the separatist leader from the Riyadh forum comes amid a deepening rift within the anti-Houthi alliance, as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates support competing factions in Yemen’s southern regions. While the coalition has historically focused on dislodging Iran-aligned Houthi rebels from the north, recent weeks have seen direct military confrontation between Saudi forces and the southern secessionists who seek to restore an independent state in the south.

Al-Dhale has long served as a stronghold for Alzubidi, a former governor of Aden who now leads the STC. The governorate's local administration did not immediately provide a casualty count from the morning’s strikes, though witnesses reported significant damage to several residential compounds.

With inputs from AFP