Daijiworld Media Network - Sanaa

Sanaa, Jan 16: Yemen’s Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Salem bin Breik and appointed Foreign Minister Shaya Mohsen Zindani as the country’s new prime minister, state news agency Saba reported on Thursday.

According to Saba, bin Breik formally submitted his resignation, which was approved by the council. Subsequently, Zindani was tasked with forming the next cabinet.

The leadership change comes amid heightened tensions in Yemen and growing strains between key regional players, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

In December, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) seized control of several areas across southern and eastern Yemen, advancing close to the Saudi border — a move Riyadh viewed as a threat to its national security. Saudi-backed forces have since regained control of most of those areas.

Differences between Saudi Arabia and the UAE have also emerged over a range of issues, including regional geopolitics and oil production policies, contributing to friction between the two Gulf powers.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE were previously allied as part of a military coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen’s prolonged civil war, a conflict that has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.