Elements affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) attacked a group of demonstrators in the city of Mukalla who had gathered to protest Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia and Gulf states, according to eyewitnesses and video footage circulated by activists.

 

 

Videos shared online showed armed individuals dispersing the protest by force, assaulting participants and tearing up images of Saudi Arabia’s King and Crown Prince, as well as Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi.

 

Witnesses said several people were injured in the attack, describing it as the latest escalation involving STC-affiliated forces in Hadramout since tensions rose late last year.

 

 

The incident comes amid a separate escalation in the southern city of Aden, where STC forces have reportedly stormed and taken control of government buildings after they had been reclaimed by the internationally recognized government.