This photo taken on January 4, 2026 shows Saudi-backed forces deployed in the city of Mukalla in Yemen's coastal southern Hadramawt province. At least 80 troops from Yemen's secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) have been killed in fighting with Saudi-backed forces and strikes since January 2, a military official from the group told AFP on January 4. At least 152 members of the UAE-backed STC forces were wounded, 130 were taken captive, and the fates of 500 fighters were still unknown, the official added, following the start of the operation on January 2, which saw strikes by Saudi warplanes to retake territory seized by the secessionists.