Saudi-backed troops on Saturday retook the resource-rich Yemeni province of Hadramawt, Yemen's presidency said, after confrontations between forces backed by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi deepened a rift between the two Gulf allies.

The Saudis and Emiratis have long supported rival factions in Yemen's fractious government, and a December offensive by the UAE-backed secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) to capture Hadramawt had angered Riyadh and left the oil-rich regional powers on a collision course.

But Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council, said in a statement that Saudi-backed National Shield forces achieved "record success" in "retaking all military and security positions in the province" bordering Saudi Arabia in the operation launched Friday.

Two government military officials also told AFP earlier that neighbouring Mahra province and its armed forces, which had also fallen in with the STC during its recent advance, had switched their loyalty to Saudi-backed forces without any resistance.

One of the two officials said the Mahra forces had "lowered the separatist flag and raised the Yemeni flag".

The Saudi-led coalition has launched repeated warnings and air strikes over the past week, including one on an........

© Al Monitor