The Yemeni government has been claiming that Abu Dhabi is supporting the separatists and has been calling on the United Arab Emirates to abandon policies aimed at dividing the country. The United Arab Emirates, which is part of the Saudi-led coalition backing the Yemeni government in its fight against the Houthi rebels, has denied claims it supports the STC.
The source said that around 70 UAE combat vehicles had been brought on a vessel to Aden and deployed to a camp of the Security Belt Forces, loyal to the STC.
Meanwhile, a Yemeni military source reported that the military had deployed tanks, multiple rocket launchers and artillery to the city of Ataq, the administrative centre of the Shawbah province, neighbouring Aden.
Earlier this week, media reported that Saudi Arabia had boosted its military presence in Shabwah amid the rising tensions in the area.
Saudi Arabia has been calling on the sides to the battles in southern Yemen to settle their disagreements. Still, violence in the area persists, prompting concerns that it might open a new front in the Yemeni conflict and provoke a division inside the coalition.
