Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, has addressed the Yemeni people in a message published on his official account on X, calling for restraint and warning against dragging Yemen’s relatively stable southern provinces into unnecessary conflict.

He urged the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a powerful southern Yemeni political and military group, to cooperate with efforts to de-escalate tensions and to withdraw its forces from the eastern provinces of Hadramawt and Al Mahrah in a peaceful manner.

In his statement, Prince Khalid said that at the request of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, Saudi Arabia mobilized allied nations to form a coalition supporting legitimacy, launching extensive military efforts under Operation Decisive Storm and Operation Restore Hope. These operations, he said, were aimed at restoring the Yemeni state’s control over its entire territory, with the liberation of southern provinces playing a central role in that effort.

Prince Khalid said Saudi Arabia has consistently treated the southern issue in Yemen as a legitimate political cause that cannot be ignored, reduced to individual figures, or exploited in conflicts that undermine its essence and future. He added that the Kingdom convened all Yemeni political factions at the Riyadh Conference to establish a clear path toward a comprehensive political solution in Yemen, including addressing southern grievances.

He also said the Riyadh Agreement guaranteed southern participation in government and paved the way toward a fair and broadly agreed solution to the southern issue through dialogue rather than the use of force.

Yemen. (Agencies)

He continued: “Saudi Arabia welcomed the transfer of power, which enabled southerners to play an effective role within state institutions and reinforced the principle of partnership as an alternative to exclusion or the imposition of control by force. The Kingdom also provided economic support, development projects, and humanitarian initiatives that helped ease the suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people, strengthening their resilience and ability to withstand severe economic conditions.

Saudi Arabia, together with its coalition partners, has also made sacrifices of lives and resources alongside the Yemeni people to liberate Aden and other Yemeni provinces. The Kingdom has always been keen to ensure that these sacrifices serve the goal of restoring the state and national sovereignty, not becoming a gateway to new internal conflicts, and that security is preserved for all Yemenis. These sacrifices must not be exploited for narrow political gains.

However, the unfortunate events that have unfolded since early December 2025 in the provinces of Hadramawt and Al Mahrah have fractured unity in confronting the enemy, squandered the sacrifices made by our sons and by Yemenis themselves, and harmed the legitimate southern cause.”

He added: “Many southern political groups, leaders, and public figures have demonstrated a responsible and prudent approach by supporting efforts to de-escalate tensions in the provinces of Hadramawt and Al Mahrah, helping to restore social peace and preventing Yemen’s stable southern regions from being drawn into futile conflicts. They have also shown an awareness of the major challenges Yemen currently faces and the importance of denying opportunistic actors the chance to advance their agendas in Yemen and the wider region.

On this basis, the Kingdom affirms that the southern issue will remain an integral part of any comprehensive political settlement and will not be forgotten or marginalized. It must be resolved through consensus, honoring commitments, and building trust among all Yemenis, rather than through reckless actions that serve only the interests of their common adversaries.”

Prince Khalid bin Salman concluded his statement by saying: “It is time for the Southern Transitional Council at this sensitive moment to prioritize reason, wisdom, the public interest, and unity by responding to Saudi-Emirati mediation efforts to end the escalation, withdraw its forces from military camps in the two provinces, and peacefully hand them over to Yemen’s National Shield Forces and the local authorities.”