Yemen- Socotra (ANN)-Pro-government forces loyal to Saudi-backed government in Yemen have taken control of a strategic island Socotra on Tuesday.

Forces affiliated with the Yemeni government retook hours after it fell in the hands of gunmen loyal to the Southern Transitional Council. the headquarters of the local authority in the Socotra Archipelago in southern Yemen,

A Yemeni government official told Russia’s Sputnik Arabic that the transitional council organized an operation to take the city of Hadibu, the center of Socotra governorate, that went to the government compound building, and soon gunmen who participated in the operation attacked and guarded the headquarters.

He added that an army and security force then clashed with gunmen loyal to the Transitional Council, recovered the building from their grip, lowered the southern flag, and raised its official flag.

Gunmen loyal to the Transitional Council, including soldiers separated from the Yemeni army, took control of the headquarters of the local authority in the city of Hadibu, after a limited clash with the guards.

Since mid-April, tensions between the UAE and Saudi-backed forces have increased dramatically.

The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council declared full authority over the southern capital city of Aden; this would cause a major uproar in Riyadh, as they accused the UAE of destabilizing Yemen.