Gunfire was heard on Tuesday evening in the vicinity of the Al-Maashiq presidential palace in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, according to local witnesses and security sources.

Residents in the neighborhood of Crater said they heard sporadic gunfire and loud explosions, prompting security concerns in the area where key government and military facilities sit.

A local security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the gunfire was linked to anti-aircraft fire targeting a low-flying drone over military camps in the vicinity. Forces of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which maintains a strong security presence in Aden, opened fire as a precaution after detecting the unmanned aircraft.

No casualties or damage were immediately reported, and authorities have not yet identified the origin of the drone. Witnesses later described the area as calm, though security forces remained on high alert.

In a related development, an STC official said the group is prepared to hand over key government institutions, including the presidential palace, to Saudi-aligned forces in the coming days, as part of ongoing efforts to ease tensions and rearrange security responsibilities in Aden.

Last week, airstrikes and ground operations by the Saudi-led coalition forced STC forces to withdraw from the oil-rich Hadramout province, which borders Saudi Arabia, and Al-Mahrah province, bordering Oman. The STC had seized these territories from Saudi-backed government forces in December.

Formed in 2017 and allegedly backed by the United Arab Emirates, the STC seeks self-determination and eventual independence for southern Yemen. Despite joining the Saudi-led coalition and integrating into Yemen's ruling Presidential Leadership Council in 2022, the group continues to push for southern sovereignty, leading to recurring disputes over power-sharing and control of resources.