Khaberni - The spokesperson for the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen, Major General Turki Al-Maliki announced that following the coalition forces' statement yesterday, Wednesday, which contained information about the circumstances of the escape of the president of the Southern Transitional Council, Aidarus Al-Zubaidi, to an unknown destination, intelligence information was available, and here is the sequence:
1- The beginning of the escape
The events started on January 4, 2026, when the coalition forces' command formally summoned Aidarus Al-Zubaidi to head to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia within 48 hours.
The purpose of the summons was to discuss the reasons behind the military escalation by the Transitional Council forces in Hadramawt and Mahra provinces.
On January 6, Al-Zubaidi agreed to attend and his delegation headed to the airport.
2- Mysterious departure
Simultaneously with the preparations to leave, the intelligence reported by the coalition observed movements by Al-Zubaidi, which included:
Moving reinforcements:
Aidarus moved armored vehicles and heavy weapons from "Hadid" and "Al-Suwailh" camps towards Dhale at midnight according to the coalition statement.
Arms distribution:
He distributed ammunition to elements inside Aden with the aim of destabilizing the stability, according to reports from the Yemeni government and the coalition.
Airport deception:
A Yemenia Airways flight was delayed for more than 3 hours, eventually taking off carrying transitional council leaders, while it turned out that Al-Zubaidi was not on board but had fled to an unknown destination at that moment.
3. The sea route:
The coalition revealed that Al-Zubaidi took a maritime route to escape from Aden to "Somaliland".
The mean:
He used a maritime means flying the flag of "Saint Kitts and Nevis" (the same associated with the ship "Greenland" previously transporting arms to Mukalla).
The destination:
He set off from the port of Aden at night towards the region of "Somaliland".
The arrival:
Aidarus and those fleeing with him reached the port of "Berbera" on Wednesday afternoon after deliberately shutting down the identification system for camouflage.
Aidarus contacted an officer nicknamed Abu Said, who turned out to be Major General Awad Said Musalh Al-Ahbabi, the commander of the joint UAE operations, according to the coalition statement.
4. The air route:
The escape operation moved from sea to air under direct coordination:
Al-Zubaidi boarded a plane waiting for him under the supervision of Emirati officers, where it first landed in Mogadishu airport and stayed for an hour.
The plane then headed towards the Arabian Gulf across the Arabian Sea, and the identification system was turned off over the Gulf of Oman.
The identification system was reactivated ten minutes before landing at "Al-Rif" military airport in the capital Abu Dhabi yesterday evening.
5- Missing:
The coalition statement clarified that the fate of Ahmad Hamed Lamlas and Mohsen Al-Wali remains unknown, as communications with them were cut off after they were the last to meet with Al-Zubaidi before his escape.
6. Repercussions
These developments since yesterday led to immediate reactions from the legitimate government and the coalition:
Membership revocation:
The president of the presidential leadership council, Rashad Al-Alimi, issued a decision to revoke Al-Zubaidi's membership and refer him for investigation before the Attorney General.
Security intervention:
Forces of "Shield of the Nation", affiliated with the Yemeni government and coalition, spread in Aden alongside the "Giants Forces" taking over institutions in Aden and the Vice President of the Presidential Council, Abdulrahman Al-Mahrami, announcing a nighttime curfew.
