Hadramout (South24)

Arab countries have condemned the killing of two Saudi soldiers and injury to a third in firing by a Yemeni soldier at the headquarters of the First Military District in the city of Seiyun in Hadramout, South Yemen, on Friday (November 8).

A statement from the UAE Foreign Ministry said on Sunday: "The UAE strongly condemns this attack. It expresses its complete rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism that aim to destabilize security and stability."

"We express full solidarity with the Saudi forces participating with the Coalition forces in operations to maintain security, stability and peace in Yemen," the statement added.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry described the incident as a "treacherous terrorist attack”. A statement from the Foreign Ministry said: "The Kingdom expresses its absolute rejection and condemnation of this cowardly attack, and stresses its solidarity with the government and people of Saudi Arabia."

A statement from the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said: "We renew the State of Kuwait's firm position in standing by Saudi Arabia, and its full support in all measures it takes to maintain regional security and stability."

The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab Parliament also issued separate statements condemning the attack, describing it as "terrorist, treacherous and cowardly."

Yesterday (November 9), the spokesman for the Coalition forces in Yemen, Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki, announced the killing of two Saudi officers and injury to a third in a "treacherous and cowardly attack inside a Coalition forces military camp in the city of Seiyun", in Hadramout Governorate.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted Al-Maliki as saying that "an officer and a non-commissioned officer were killed and another was injured."

Al-Maliki said that "the treacherous attack took place during training for Saudi forces in a Coalition camp that provides training and support to the forces of the First Military District."

Al-Maliki added that "the attack was carried out by a person affiliated with the Yemeni Ministry of Defense [...]." He pointed out that "the bodies of the two officers and the injured person arrived in the Kingdom after they were evacuated from inside Yemen" to Saudi Arabia.

Al-Maliki said that "the joint forces will work, in coordination with the Yemeni Ministry of Defense, to follow up on the investigation procedures to determine the reasons and motives and arrest the perpetrator and bring him to justice."

It is worth noting that the perpetrator of the attack is a soldier, Mohammed Saleh Al-Arousi, from the Houthi-controlled Hajjah Governorate in North Yemen, a special source told South24 Center. Al-Arousi serves along with thousands of Northern soldiers in the First Military District in Hadramout in South Yemen.

The security forces in Hadramout have announced a financial reward for anyone who provides information leading to the arrest of Al-Arousi, after he mysteriously fled the scene of the incident.

The Saudi-backed Nation Shield Forces announced on Saturday that they had sent a force to Seiyun to contribute to the search for Al-Arousi.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) has accused the First Military District of being allied with the Houthis and the Islamic Islah Party, but Saudi Arabia has nevertheless provided it with material and military support for years.

The attack in Seiyun was widely praised by Houthi officials. The group did not claim responsibility for the attack or the perpetrator, but described the operation as "heroic”. Houthi senior media official Hamid Rizq has threatened future attacks against Saudi forces in Yemen.

Yesterday evening, the Houthi-controlled city of Sanaa was subjected to airstrikes. The US Department of Defense announced on Sunday that it had targeted advanced weapons storage facilities belonging to the Iranian-backed Houthis in Sanaa.

Earlier, the Houthi militia announced that 10 airstrikes launched by the US and UK targeted Sanaa and Saada in North Yemen, without giving further details.