Aden (South24)

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The announcement of the death of former Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in Riyadh topped Yemen’s key security and military developments between May 16 and May 29, 2026, amid intermittent Houthi escalation on the Dhalea, Marib and Saada fronts, and broad security activity in Aden, Hadramout, and Taiz.

Hadi, who had lived in Saudi Arabia for 11 years, was announced dead on Thursday in the Saudi capital. His death marked a notable event that coincided with Yemen’s years-long state of neither war nor peace.

Hadi assumed the presidency in February 2012 following a consensus election held after former President Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down. At the time, he was regarded as a transitional president tasked with leading a phase that was supposed to reorganize the country’s political landscape.

However, the transitional process faltered as the Houthis expanded their influence and seized control of Sanaa. Hadi later moved to Aden, then to Riyadh in March 2015 as the Houthis advanced toward the South. He remained in Saudi Arabia until April 2022, when he transferred his powers to the Presidential Leadership Council, before his death was announced in the Saudi capital.

On the ground, Dhalea witnessed several developments, including Houthi mortar shelling of the Al-Jab and Battar valleys in the north of the governorate, and the passage of a missile over Al-Azariq district toward the sea after it was launched from areas between Dhalea and Ibb under Houthi control. A military source also said Southern forces repelled a Houthi attack on the Al-Thawkhab front in northern Dhalea.

In a separate development, a Southern forces soldier was reported killed after succumbing to wounds he had sustained in the Saudi airstrike that targeted Hadramout governorate in January 2026 and left hundreds of Southern forces personnel killed and injured.

On the Harib front, a soldier from the Shabwa Defense Forces was killed and another wounded in a Houthi attack. In Saada, a soldier was killed and another injured from the Al-Razamat Axis forces while repelling a Houthi attack, while seven Houthi fighters were killed during the thwarting of the assault.

In Aden, authorities said they were following investigations into the rape of a minor child and ordered the arrest of those involved and the pursuit of suspects. The director of Al-Mamdara Police Station was suspended to ensure the integrity of the investigation. In Sira district, security forces arrested a suspect in a murder case within hours of the incident.

In Hadramout, the Southern Transitional Council accused Saudi-backed Yemeni Emergency Forces of committing “violations” in Al-Khasha area, including unlawful arrests, night raids, and the existence of illegal detention facilities. The accusation followed a local tribal statement that referred to the same violations. Sheikh Saleh Al-Yazidi, head of the Union of Southern Arab Tribes, also called during a meeting in Seiyun for the Yemeni Emergency Forces to leave Hadramout.

The governorate also saw a series of security operations, including the seizure of Konkurs guided missiles in Fuwa, and the issuance of prison and death sentences against 27 defendants in cases involving murder, armed gangs, and drug smuggling. Authorities also reported the seizure of illegal gold extraction facilities and drug-related operations in Mukalla and Shihr.

In Taiz, police announced the arrest of the main suspect in the assassination of Lebanese Red Cross employee Hanna Lahoud, who was killed in Al-Dhabab area in April 2018. A security campaign in Al-Shamayatayn also led to the arrest of elements described as “terrorist” and accused of involvement in assassinations and bombings in Taiz, Aden, Lahj, and Abyan between 2008 and 2025.

In Sanaa, a Houthi-run court issued verdicts against 23 citizens, including death sentences for 19 people, on charges of “aiding the aggression” and “forming an armed gang” that it said was affiliated with Al-Qaeda. Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi also renewed his group’s adherence to its positions on the regional conflict with Iran and its readiness for any coming developments.

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