The home province of Yemen's United Arab Emirates-backed separatist leader was bombed by a Saudi-led coalition Wednesday after he failed to attend talks in Riyadh and was ousted from the country's presidential body.
The coalition said it had given Aidarous al-Zubaidi a 48-hour ultimatum to come to Riyadh for discussions, after his Southern Transitional Council (STC) grabbed swathes of territory last month.
But he failed to board the flight carrying his delegation and the coalition struck his home province of al-Dhale after accusing him of mobilizing "large forces" there.
Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, which holds executive power and groups rival UAE and Saudi-backed figures, then announced al-Zubaidi's removal, accusing him of high treason.
The showdown between Yemen's rival factions raised fears that the second city Aden, where the STC insisted its leader was still located, could be drawn into the violence.
The STC's advance and the Saudi response have also sent relations with the United Arab Emirates, fellow oil power and rival powerbroker in Yemen, plummeting.
The separatists said they were open to discussions but warned they had lost contact with their delegation in Riyadh, urging Saudi authorities to guarantee their safety.
On Wednesday, more than 15 airstrikes hit Dhale, a local official told AFP, killing four people, according to two hospital sources.
Al-Zubaidi "fled to an unknown location ... after he had distributed weapons and ammunition to dozens of elements inside Aden," coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said in a statement.
The coalition carried out strikes to prevent al-Zubaidi from "escalating the conflict" and extending it into Dhale governorate, he said.
An STC official told AFP that al-Zubaidi decided not to join the delegation flying to Saudi Arabia for talks after hearing he would be asked to dissolve his group, which forms part of the Presidential Leadership Council.
Later, the STC said it had lost contact with the delegation following its arrival in Riyadh, urging Saudi Arabia to "guarantee the safety of its delegation currently in Riyadh."
Al-Zubaidi "continues his duties" in Aden, the group said, calling on the Saudi-led coalition to halt the airstrikes.
The Presidential Leadership Council announced al-Zubaidi's removal, accusing him of committing several crimes, including "high treason" and "engaging in armed insurgency."
"It has been established that (al-Zubaidi) has abused the just cause of the South and exploited it to commit grave crimes against civilians in the southern governorates," it said.
More than 100 people have been killed in the Saudi-led coalition's strikes on the separatists' positions and in clashes on the ground.
The Saudis and Emiratis have long supported rival factions in Yemen's fractious government, after they had initially joined forces in the Saudi-led military coalition against the Houthis.
The coalition and another Saudi-backed group said it has asked STC deputy, Abdulrahman al-Mahrami, who is in Riyadh and approved al-Zubaidi's dismissal from the presidency, to "enforce security and prevent hostilities in Aden."
A security official in Aden told AFP that the forces loyal to Mahrami have been deployed in the streets and government buildings, including the presidential palace.
Saudi media have also reported that a Saudi-backed group was heading towards Aden, raising concerns over fighting reaching Yemen's second city, though AFP could not verify those claims.
Aden is an STC stronghold and home to the group's headquarters.
After the Iran-backed Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, it became the government's self-proclaimed temporary capital.
As the civil war progressed, the STC's political and military influence expanded across south Yemen and they became a dominant force in Aden.
Another security official told AFP that two days ago, the STC evacuated its headquarters in Aden and moved the operations of its TV channel to an unknown location for fear of Saudi bombing.
Last week, al-Zubaidi had announced a two-year transition toward creating a new country, "South Arabia," in Yemen's south.
