DUBAI, Jan 7, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A Saudi Arabia-led coalition said Wednesday that it had undertaken "limited pre-emptive strikes" in Yemen to stop UAE-backed separatists from expanding the conflict.

The separatists seized large swathes of Yemeni territory last month including much of Hadramawt province bordering Saudi Arabia, expelling Saudi-backed government forces.

But last week, air strikes from a Saudi-led coalition and a counter-offensive on the ground pushed back the separatists.

The coalition said Wednesday it had carried out new strikes in an effort to prevent separatist leader Aidaros Alzubidi from "escalating the conflict" and extending it into Aldhale Governorate.

They said they were "working with the Yemeni government and the local authorities... to support security efforts and maintain order".

Alzubidi had been due to travel to the Saudi capital Riyadh on Tuesday for talks aimed at easing the clashes.

However, his plane was delayed and he was not on board when it departed, the coalition said.

He had "fled to an unknown location, leaving (separatist group) members and leaders without any information about his whereabouts", the coalition said.

The Saudis and Emiratis, both wealthy oil-producers and neighbours, have long supported rival factions in Yemen's fractious government, which is based in the country's south.

They had initially joined forces in the Saudi-led military coalition against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who forced out the government in 2014 and seized much of the country's north.