Yemen's Southern Transitional Council leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi has reportedly fled to an unknown location, according to the Saudi-backed coalition. He failed to board a flight for Riyadh for peace talks, prompting the coalition to conduct pre-emptive strikes in his home province. The Saudi-backed presidential council stripped Zubaidi of his membership, accusing him of treason. The situation has heightened fears of violence in Aden and exposed rifts between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who back opposing sides in Yemen's conflict.