Tensions flared in the temporary Yemeni capital Aden on Wednesday after the leaders of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) announced general mobilization to storm the presidential palace. This led to clashes between STC gunmen and presidential guards. The tensions arose when thousands of STC loyalists took part in the funeral of Brigadier General Muneer al-Yafee, who was killed last week in a missile strike on al-Jala camp in Aden. Dozens of southern separatists were also killed in the attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militias. The STC is headed by former Aden governor Aidarous al-Zubaidi. After the funeral, the vice-president of the STC, Hani Ali Brik, called on supporters to march on the palace and overthrow the government of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. He claimed that the presidential guard, led by Hadi’s son, had opened fire at the mourners, prompting his call to storm the palace and eliminate whom he described as Islah party loyalists. The ensuing clashes left four people dead, reported Reuters. The Houthis had claimed responsibility for the al-Jala attack. The STC, however, alleged it was a deliberate attack aimed at assassinating Yafee, holding the Islah party responsible. Brik had appeared on a pro-STC television channel to demand the secession of southern Yemen from the North. He also called for restoring the state that was present before the 1990 reunification. On Tuesday, the STC had called on the “occupying” legitimate government to leave Aden immediately and peacefully transfer power to southern authorities. It urged the government to deploy its northern forces in the South to the frontline against the Houthis in the North. Security of Aden must be handed to the STC and loyal forces. It called for the secession of the South and accused Hadi of being complicit with ISIS in carrying out last week’s attacks in Aden. Interior Minister Ahmed al-Mayssari described the unrest as an attempt to create strife “by forces that are known to everyone.” The plot to stir strife started with the martyrdom of Yafee at the hands of the criminal Houthis. The ensuing developments were an attempt to exploit his death for political means, he added. “We have shown patience and wisdom to maintain general calm and stability,” he stated. He accused Brik of attempting to create sedition and declaring war against legitimate institutions. “We call on the Yemeni people not to respond to such calls as they only want war and only serve the Houthis,” he said. The government had so far practiced restraint to maintain stability in Aden but was “fully ready” to combat any actions targeting the state’s institutions. British Ambassador to Yemen Michael Aron expressed his “deep concern” about the situation in Aden. “All parties must deescalate. I condemn the targeting of al-Jala camp which killed so many people. But this is no excuse to deport Northerners or start armed confrontations between Southern forces and the legitimate government,” he tweeted. United Arab Emirates State Minister for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said that the clashes were alarming and that escalation cannot be an option after last weeks suicide attack by the ISIS group in Aden that killed 11 people. Two militants in a car targeted a police station in the Sheikh Othman district, leaving dozens of casualties and huge damages in nearby buildings and houses. The suicide attack took place the same day as the attack on al-Jala. Gargash called for returning to the political path and dialogue to resolve disputes that cannot be tackled with force. UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, voiced his concern over the violence in Aden and urged all parties to abandon violence and resolve their differences through dialogue. The Saudi-led Arab coalition said the alliance was following with “concern” the developments in Aden. Spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki expressed his condemnation of the “dangerous developments,” saying the alliance rejects any attempts to tamper with the interests of the Yemeni people. He called on all parties to work with Hadis government to "overcome the critical period." The Houthi terrorist militias and terrorist organizations, such as al-Qaeda and ISIS, must not be given the opportunity to take advantage of such unrest, he warned. Wednesday’s unrest recalled the clashes that had erupted in Aden in late January 2018 when STC followers attempted to topple the legitimate government by force. The clashes left some 50 people dead and dozens wounded. The unrest ended after the intervention of Arab coalition forces.