New Year, New Yemen?: The STC's offensive and the change in the balance of power

New Year, New Yemen?: The STC's offensive and the change in the balance of power

From The New Arab Voice by The New Arab

January 22, 2026 · 43 min · Season 13 · Episode 1

About this episode

The episode discusses the STC's military offensive in Yemen and its implications on the balance of power.

As 2025 was coming to a close, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen decided they had one last roll of the dice to make.  At the start of December, the STC launched a military operation to seize the eastern governorates of Yemen. They quickly swept across the region, with arms supplied by the UAE.  It was a great success, until the Yemeni government, backed by Saudi Arabia, fought back.  This week on The New Arab Voice podcast, we look at the STC's offensive in the east of Yemen, the fight back by the Yemeni government, and the impact that these operations have had on the balance of power in Yemen. On this episode, we're joined by Yasmeen al-Eryani, the Executive Director for Knowledge Production at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies ( @SanaaCenter ), and Baraa Shiban ( @BShtwtr ), researcher and political analyst on Yemen and the Gulf, and an Associate Fellow with the Royal United Services Institute in London ( @RUSI_org ). Also, Mohamed al-Sahimi. Head of the STC UK office. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge ( @hugogoodridge ). Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network. To get in touch with the…

People in this episode

Host: Hugo Goodridge

Guests: Yasmeen al-Eryani, Baraa Shiban, Mohamed al-Sahimi

Topics covered

  • Yemen
  • military operations
  • political power
  • Southern Transitional Council
  • Yemeni government
  • UAE
  • Saudi Arabia

Keywords

  • Yemen
  • Southern Transitional Council
  • military operation
  • political analysis
  • UAE
  • Saudi Arabia
  • balance of power

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Southern Transitional Council, UAE, Yemeni government, Saudi Arabia, Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, Royal United Services Institute, Audio Network

Places: Yemen

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