Saudi-Yemeni confirmation: The perpetrator of the Sayoun attack does not represent the Yemeni armed forces and the incident will not affect the relationship between the two countries’ armies

Yemeni Defense Minister Lieutenant General Mohsen Al-Daari arrived in the city of Sayoun in Hadhramaut today, Sunday, two days after two Saudi officers were killed by a Yemeni army soldier, in an incident whose details have not yet been revealed, while Saudi Arabia and Yemen confirmed coordination to conduct investigations.

A correspondent for "Yemeni Youth" in Seiyun said, "There is an intensive security and military deployment in the main and side streets and neighborhoods of the city, as the search for the perpetrator of the attack on the Saudi officers continues."

According to security sources, Sayoun has become a closed city in terms of security and military, and the search for the perpetrator of the operation is being carried out by security services, military forces from the First Military Region, and units from the Homeland Shield Forces, as estimates indicate that the perpetrator of the attack is still in the city of Sayoun and has not been able to leave it.

On Saturday morning, the Security and Police Department in the Hadhramaut Valley and Desert announced a financial reward of 30 million Yemeni riyals for anyone who arrests or provides information about the soldier "Mohammed Saleh Al-Arousi."

Hadhramaut Valley Police also called on citizens to support the army and security forces in the mission to search for the accused, and stressed the need to search (in farms, valleys, ravines, shelters, mountains, desert and roads).

The outlet does not represent the Yemeni Armed Forces.

While some parties, most notably the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, tried to exploit the incident to incite against the First Military Region and create disputes between the Yemeni and Saudi armies through intense and misleading media coverage, the Saudi and Yemeni positions confirmed that the incident would not affect the relationship and cooperation between the two armies, and that the perpetrator of the attack did not represent the Yemeni armed forces.

Today, Sunday, Dr. Abdullah Al-Alimi, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council, visited the headquarters of the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy, where he was received by the Commander of the Joint Forces, Lieutenant General Fahd bin Hamad Al-Salman, and a number of military leaders, according to the Armed Forces Media Center.

During the meeting, Al-Alimi expressed his deep regret and sincere condolences on behalf of the President of the Presidential Leadership Council, the members of the Council, the government, and the Yemeni people, to the leadership of the Kingdom, the leadership of the Saudi Ministry of Defense, and the joint forces of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy for the terrorist and sinful attack that resulted in the martyrdom of an officer and a non-commissioned officer and the injury of a third officer from the Saudi Armed Forces, which were performing their duty in training and supporting the Yemeni forces in the first region in the city of Seiyun.

Al-Alimi said, "These cowardly and treacherous acts only reflect the perpetrator, who does not represent the honorable members of the Yemeni Armed Forces who appreciate the great and major role of our brothers in the forces of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy and their great sacrifices alongside the Yemeni people. They cannot affect the nature of the strong relationship between Yemen and the Kingdom, which has been strengthened by pure blood and firm fraternal positions."

For his part, the Commander of the Joint Forces expressed that this treacherous incident does not represent the honorable members of the Yemeni Ministry of Defense who appreciate the positive and important role played by the coalition forces to support Yemeni legitimacy and support humanitarian work to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people, pointing out that the Saudi-led coalition will not deviate from achieving its goals for the benefit of Yemen and its honorable people.

Leadership Council Member Dr. Abdullah Al-Alimi Meets with the Commander of the Joint Forces

Today, Dr. Abdullah Al-Alimi, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council, visited the headquarters of the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy, where he was received by the Commander of the Joint Forces, Lieutenant General Fahd bin Hamad Al-Salman, and a number of military leaders.

And in… pic.twitter.com/ALSKcdWMbi

— Yemeni Armed Forces Media Center (@Yem_army_media) November 10, 2024

The spokesman for the Arab coalition forces, Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki, announced on Saturday evening, "The martyrdom of an officer and a non-commissioned officer, and the injury of an officer, as a result of a treacherous and cowardly attack inside the coalition forces camp in the city of (Saiyun) last Friday evening."

Al-Maliki explained in a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency, "SPA", that "the attack was carried out by a person affiliated with the Yemeni Ministry of Defense," stressing that "the aforementioned does not represent the honorable members of the Yemeni Ministry of Defense who appreciate the positive and important role played by the coalition forces to support Yemeni legitimacy and support humanitarian work to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people."

Brigadier General Al-Maliki stated 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, arrest the perpetrator, and bring him to justice.

For his part, the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, mourned the two Saudi officers, stressing that "the criminal attack committed by one of the soldiers affiliated with the First Military Region forces is a cowardly terrorist act that does not represent the honorable members of the Yemeni Armed Forces who appreciate the great role of the brothers in the forces of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy."

He also directed the arrest of the perpetrator of the attack on Saudi officers and soldiers, and to conduct investigations into the crime in coordination with the leadership of the joint forces in the coalition to support legitimacy, and to take the necessary measures at various levels.

In turn, the Yemeni Minister of Defense, in a telegram of condolence to his Saudi counterpart, Prince Khalid bin Salman, and the Commander of the Joint Forces, Lieutenant General Fahd Al-Salman, expressed his deep sorrow and grief over this heinous and condemned crime, which attempts to target the depth of the strong fraternal ties that unite the two brotherly armies and peoples, and the efforts of the brothers to establish the pillars of security in our country and to build, support and rehabilitate our armed forces.

Lieutenant General Al-Daari stressed that this reprehensible incident does not represent the brave members of our armed forces who have great appreciation and gratitude for our brothers in the coalition after the fraternal relations were sealed with blood in the battle of destiny and the common Arab existence.

The Minister of Defense also confirmed, "The investigations will continue in coordination with our brothers in the joint forces to find out the motives and causes of the crime, arrest the perpetrator of the heinous operation, and bring him to justice to receive his deterrent punishment."

A statement issued by the Ministry of Defense and the Chief of Staff stressed that "the perpetrator of the cowardly and treacherous attack does not represent the honorable people of Yemen and our armed forces, who highly appreciate the efforts of the coalition forces led by the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support and restore legitimacy and support humanitarian work to alleviate the suffering of our Yemeni people."

The statement pointed out that this reprehensible incident will only increase the armed forces' vigilance and coordination with the forces of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy, to confront common challenges and lead the country towards a safe and stable future.

The statement explained that the Ministry of Defense and the Chief of Staff are continuing their efforts and coordination with the joint forces to follow up on the investigations, find out the reasons and motives, and work to quickly arrest the perpetrator of the treacherous crime and bring him to justice to receive his deterrent and just punishment.

Politically, the Supreme Council of the Yemeni Islah Congregation strongly condemned the treacherous crime committed by one of the soldiers of the First Military Region against the Saudi officers “who were and still are the best support and help to their brothers in Yemen,” stressing that this heinous crime does not reflect the morals of the Yemenis, but rather is a barbaric criminal behavior prohibited by Sharia, law, and the customs and values of the Yemenis.

In a statement, the Islah Party called on the relevant authorities and agencies to carry out their responsibilities in pursuing and arresting the criminal, and bringing him to justice as soon as possible to receive his deterrent punishment for the crime he committed, calling for an urgent and transparent investigation to uncover the circumstances of this treacherous crime.

The Supreme Council of the Yemeni Islah Party stood against the treacherous crime committed by a soldier of the First Military Region against officers from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the city of Sayoun in Hadhramaut Governorate last Friday. This is a heinous crime that claimed the lives of two martyred officers and injured a third.

The Yemeni gathering…

— Mohammed Abdullah Al-Yadumi (@MohAlydomi) November 9, 2024

For its part, the Supreme Council of the National Bloc of Yemeni Political Parties and Components condemned this heinous crime that targeted the heroes of the Saudi army "who came to our country to support and back the Yemeni people to get rid of the remnants of the priestly imamate that has weighed heavily on the chests of our people and made them taste the woes."

The bloc said in a statement that "this act is a treacherous behavior, and has no connection to our religion, customs, or the values of the honorable Yemeni people. Rather, it is a vile service provided to forces hostile to the interests of the Yemeni people, which seek through this criminal act to undermine the fraternal relations that unite the Republic of Yemen with its brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

The bloc stressed on the "concerned authorities to quickly arrest the perpetrator and refer him to an urgent trial, stressing that this "crime only serves the enemies of Yemen and Saudi Arabia alike, and will not undermine the determination of the two countries and brotherly peoples to move forward to restore security in Yemen and end the projects of chaos and destruction, especially the Iranian Houthi terrorist project."

Exploiting the incident

In contrast to the widespread condemnations of the crime, the UAE-affiliated separatist Southern Transitional Council sought, through its media arms, from the moment the news spread, to inflame the incident by launching an intensive media campaign that combined incitement against the First Military Region and exposure of the Saudi forces.

Commenting on this, political analyst Yassin Al-Tamimi said that the way the supporters of the separatist project dealt with the assassination of two Saudi officers in Sayoun reflects superficiality, shallow thinking, and limitless opportunism. He added, “I do not believe that the unfortunate incident will determine the fate of the first region as the separatist extremists linked to the Emirati influence hope.”

Al-Tamimi explained via the “X” platform that the continued presence of forces in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahrah, which are originally an extension of the old version of the Yemeni armed forces, is due to a Saudi desire to keep these forces, which are apparently undergoing renewal operations in their human strength to address the blatant regional tyranny, given that the vast majority of them come from northern governorates that were the base of support and reinforcements for the Ali Abdullah Saleh regime.

For years, the separatist Transitional Council, and behind it the UAE, have been inciting against the First Military Region, whose forces are deployed in the Hadhramaut valleys and deserts, and have enjoyed Saudi support for decades. The separatist sees this military force as an obstacle to his plan to control Hadhramaut Governorate and annex it to his separatist project.