Saudi Arabia has called for urgent dialogue in Riyadh among Yemen's southern factions following escalating tensions and recent violence. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) is pushing for secession and has seized territory, prompting airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition that separatists claim killed 20 people. The STC announced plans for a two-year transitional process to form a southern state, raising fears of further destabilization in the war-torn country.