https://tankie.tube/videos/watch/90d8ff22-cf7c-470c-a21a-c259f5afef52 David Hearst, editor-in-chief of Middle East Eye, explains why, by standing up to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh is reshaping the Middle East. Abu Dhabi’s policy of strengthening the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen to the point where it could declare itself an independent state that recognised Israel was close to becoming a reality. All the STC needed was to take control of two sparsely populated but geographically vast provinces in the east of the country: al-Mahra and Hadhramaut, which together account for nearly half of Yemen’s territory. Hadhramaut shares a border with Saudi Arabia, and the appearance of the STC in the provincial capital, Mukalla, marked the wake-up call Riyadh needed. Support stories that matter. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0fZh5SBxxMNYdg0VzRFkg/join Catch previous episodes of MEE LIVE, our biweekly news programme exploring the stories shaping our world through breaking coverage, expert analysis, and hard-hitting interviews. Originally airing Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12pm ET | 5pm BST Got a story tip or question? Reach us at MEELive@middleeasteye.org Subscribe to our channel: http://ow.ly/AVlW30n1OWH Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: https://t.me/MiddleEastEye_TG Middle East Eye Website: https://middleeasteye.net Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@middleeasteye Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/MiddleEastEye Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/MiddleEastEye Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye Sat, 11 Apr 2026 12:19:53 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://tankie.tube https://tankie.tube/lazy-static/avatars/3ba3ff73-a8b6-49c9-add8-9653ef090c7f.webp https://tankie.tube/videos/watch/90d8ff22-cf7c-470c-a21a-c259f5afef52 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://tankie.tube/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.