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 producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com

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