SANAA, Yemen:

Yemeni separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates clashed Wednesday with forces loyal to the internationally backed government around the presidential palace in the southern city of Aden, security officials and witnesses said.

The UAE is a key member of a Saudi-led coalition that has been battling rebels in northern Yemen, known as Houthis, since March 2015 on behalf of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s government. (AP)