Saudi official says Yemen separatist leader fled after missing flight to peace talks

Saudi officials say STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi did not board a flight to Riyadh and was reported as having fled to an unknown location. The Saudi-backed presidential council has removed him from its membership and referred him to the public prosecutor.

Saudi officials reported that Aidarous al-Zubaidi, leader of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), did not take a scheduled flight to Riyadh and was reported as having fled to an unknown location. The statement came from a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition as talks were planned over the future of southern Yemen. The coalition also announced it had conducted limited pre-emptive air strikes in the region. Key facts: - A Saudi-led coalition spokesman said al-Zubaidi missed a flight to Riyadh and was reported as having fled to an unknown location. - The coalition announced limited pre-emptive air strikes in al-Zubaidi's home province, according to domestic and STC sources. - The Saudi-backed presidential council removed al-Zubaidi from its membership and referred him to the public prosecutor on charges including high treason; the STC had no immediate public comment. Summary: The developments deepen tensions between the Saudi-led coalition and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council and reflect fractures within the anti-Houthi alignment in Yemen. The immediate procedural step is the referral of al-Zubaidi to the public prosecutor, and his whereabouts remain undetermined at this time.