Air strikes killed seven separatist fighters in Yemen Friday, according to an official with the group, as a Saudi-led coalition hit back against a sweeping advance by the UAE-backed Southern Transition Council, threatening a major confrontation. The deaths are the first from coalition fire since the secessionist STC seized swathes of Hadramawt and Mahra provinces last month. An STC spokesman said it was in a “decisive and existential” war with Saudi-backed forces. Mohammed Abdulmalik, head of STC in Wadi Hadramaut and Hadramaut Desert, said seven strikes hit the Al-Khasah camp, killing seven and wounding over 20. Further strikes targeted other sites in the region, he added. The raids came shortly after pro-Saudi forces launched a campaign to “peacefully” take control of military sites in Hadramawt. Also on Friday, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed AlJabir, said STC had blocked a Saudi delegation from landing at Aden airport, accusing the group of “intransigence”. On Thursday, Yemen’s STC-controlled transport ministry denounced a Saudi demand that all planes to and from the UAE make a stop in Saudi Arabia for security checks.