Aden (South24)

In his latest appearance, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) Sharia official Abu Al-Bara’ Al-San'ani released an audio message - circulated today in a closed social media group -  attacking the deployment of Southern forces in Hadramout and Al-Mahra, and calling on Yemenis, particularly the people of Marib, to take up arms against the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

Al-San'ani also praised AQAP members for their role in confronting STC forces in the Omaran Valley (Wadi Omaran) of Abyan, framing the recent developments in Hadramout as “part of a broader project” linked, according to him, to statements by the Israeli Prime Minister about “reshaping the map of the Middle East.” He further leveled accusations and verbal attacks against Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council.

The message comes as Southern forces continue their “Promising Future” operation in Wadi Hadramout, through which they secured wide areas and expelled forces of the First Military Region, which previously accused by Southern actors of enabling extremist activity in the valley.

Coinciding with Al-San'ani’s message, three Southern soldiers were injured in Shabwa when an improvised explosive device targeted a military vehicle on the Shabika - Ataq road an attack consistent with AQAP’s tactics against Southern forces during ongoing security operations, ccording to a South24 correspondent.

Earlier, former AQAP figure Riyadh Al-Nahdi appeared in a speech aired by the Al-Mahriya TV, in which he attacked Southern forces, labeling them a “racist militia” and urging Yemenis to fight them. He also praised supporters of Amr bin Habrish, whose recent armed mobilization led to heightened tension before Southern forces intervened to re-secure key oil facilities.

#BREAKING

Former #AQAP leader Riyadh Al-Nahdi threatens to fight the Southern forces in the #Hadramout desert#south24 pic.twitter.com/PAWMBPe5jP

— South24 | English (@South24E) December 3, 2025

According to Southern security narratives, that the current shifts in Hadramout and Al-Mahra cannot be separated from AQAP’s activities and the networks supporting it. Southern leaders emphasize that ongoing operations aim to “eradicate terrorist hotspots” and shut down areas that have served in recent years as smuggling corridors and staging grounds for the group.

Southern forces have been conducting wide-scale counterterrorism campaigns in Abyan and Shabwa since launching the “Arrows of the East” operation in August 2022, which inflicted major losses on AQAP and forced the group out of several of its historical strongholds.