Yemen Monitor – Newsroom:
Tariq Saleh, member of the Presidential Leadership Council and commander of the so-called National Resistance Forces in Mokha, openly declared his alignment with and support for the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in its military control over the eastern governorates. The position came during a phone call he held with STC President Aidarous al-Zubaidi.
According to the STC’s official website, the two sides presented a shared vision stating that stability in the South is the fundamental anchor for any movement to liberate the remaining areas of the North, stressing that the battle and the risks are one.
The report said the two leaders emphasized “the South’s standing and its role in the national battle”—a clear indication of treating the South as an independent entity. They asserted that achieving stability in the South represents a genuine starting point for liberating the rest of the North and eliminating the threat of the Houthi militia.
Both Saleh and al-Zubaidi underscored the need to avoid any side battles and to remain focused on the main objective. They discussed elevating coordination among various forces confronting the Houthis and al-Qaeda, in addition to strengthening security and stability in liberated areas and activating state institutions there—considered an essential prerequisite for sustaining any joint political or military action.
The two leaders reaffirmed that the battle is one, as are the threats and challenges, and that joint coordination and cooperation constitute the foundation of the current and upcoming phase.
The call concluded with a confirmation that communication and coordination will continue in the coming period, signaling that the rapprochement between the two sides is no longer a temporary step but a deliberate political trajectory moving toward solidifying a clearly defined alliance.
The report comes amid a wave of positions condemning the STC’s unilateral actions in the eastern governorates, along with widespread calls to withdraw its forces from Hadramawt and Mahra. Parliament, political parties, and the Shura Council have all rejected the imposition of a new reality on the ground and demanded a rollback.
