Southern Transitional Council President Aidrous Al-Zubaidi announced the start of a two-year transitional phase, paving the way for a referendum on the independence of the southern region of Yemen.

He said the council had approved a constitutional declaration to restore the state of the South.

In the same context, council officials accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out airstrikes on their camps in Hadramout, resulting in deaths and injuries, as well as the killing of an entire family in a strike that hit their home, amid rapidly escalating military tensions.