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ADEN, Yemen — Yemen's internationally recognized government said on Saturday its forces had regained full control of the oil-rich southeastern province of Hadramout after a Saudi-backed military operation forced out fighters loyal to the Southern Transitional Council, or STC.

Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, or PLC, said he had ordered security forces to secure state institutions and protect public and private property after government troops retook all military and security sites in the province, according to the state-run news agency Saba.

A military official said the government forces entered Mukalla, the provincial capital and a key port city, after STC fighters withdrew under sustained Saudi airstrikes. Troops took control of state institutions, the official said.

Residents said that government soldiers were patrolling Mukalla's streets, while some government facilities, including Al Rayyan airport, were looted amid chaos involving local residents and newly arrived pro-government tribal fighters.

Hadramout Governor Salem al-Khanbashi urged residents to protect public and private property, saying Mukalla's facilities "belong to the people of Hadramout".

The government forces also retook Seiyun, Hadramout's second-largest city, about a month after it fell to the STC, a military source said. STC fighters withdrew from Seiyun airport and other key institutions, allowing government troops to secure full control.

In the eastern province of Al-Mahrah, local media reported that STC forces withdrew from government institutions without fighting. Saba said STC-affiliated units also pulled out of Ghaydah airport and the presidential palace in the provincial capital. Al-Alimi tasked Al-Mahrah's governor with taking control of military camps and restoring order, Saba reported.

In a statement issued late on Saturday, the STC welcomed Saudi Arabia's invitation to sponsor a southern dialogue conference, describing it as a practical step consistent with its longstanding commitment to dialogue.

The group said the Saudi initiative was an opportunity for "serious dialogue" that could safeguard "the aspirations of the southern people".

The clashes followed a government offensive launched on Friday, when hundreds of Saudi-backed troops advanced toward Hadramout to expel STC forces and reassert state authority. Saudi warplanes intensified airstrikes in support of the operation, killing more than 20 people and wounding dozens, according to local sources.

The fighting came as the STC announced a two-year transitional period to administer southern Yemen, to be followed by a referendum on independence.

Tensions between the government and the STC escalated last month after the group seized large parts of Hadramout and Al-Mahrah, areas Saudi Arabia considers strategically sensitive due to their proximity to its border and concentration of Yemen's remaining energy resources.

Yemen has been at war since 2014, when Houthi forces took control of the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year. The UAE-backed STC, formed in 2017, seeks independence for southern Yemen. Despite joining the Saudi-led coalition and the PLC in 2022, the group has remained at odds with the government over power-sharing and control of territory and resources.

Xinhua - Agencies