Saudi Arabia has publicly accused the United Arab Emirates of orchestrating the escape of Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), from Yemen. According to the Saudi-led coalition, al-Zubaidi fled the southern Yemeni port city of Aden late on January 7, 2026, by sea aboard a vessel named Bamedhaf, which reportedly turned off its identification systems while sailing towards Somaliland. The ship docked in Berbera, Somaliland, around midday on January 8, 2026. From there, al-Zubaidi, who faced charges of high treason from Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council and had failed to attend scheduled peace talks in Riyadh, reportedly boarded an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft, accompanied by Emirati officers, and flew to Mogadishu, Somalia, before ultimately landing at Al Reef military airport in Abu Dhabi, UAE. This accusation has dramatically deepened the diplomatic and military rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who, despite being nominal allies in the Yemen conflict, support different factions. The Saudi coalition highlighted that the aircraft also switched off its identification systems while flying over the Gulf of Oman, further fueling suspicions about the covert operation. The STC, which advocates for an independent southern Yemen, announced its disbandment on January 9, 2026, following these events, though this decision was immediately disputed by other STC officials, including their UK representative, who stated that such a move would require al-Zubaidi's approval. The UAE government has not yet issued an immediate public response to the Saudi allegations.