The chairman of Yemen’s ruling leadership council has announced the formation of a new cabinet, weeks after deadly violence erupted in the country’s south and a separatist group was dissolved.

The recent escalation has laid bare growing rifts within the Saudi-led coalition battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, announced the formation of a new cabinet in a presidential decree released late Friday by the state-run SABA news agency.

The new government consists of 35 ministers and is headed by Prime Minister Shae’a al-Zandani, who will also continue to serve as foreign minister. Only two women were included in the cabinet: Afrah al-Zouba, appointed minister of planning and international cooperation, and Ahd Jaasous, named state minister for women’s affairs.

Maj. Gen. Taher al-Aqili was appointed defense minister, while Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Haidan was named interior minister. Both are tasked with overseeing Saudi backed operations aimed at dismantling militias linked to the separatist Southern Transitional Council, which is supported by the United Arab Emirates.

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Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war for more than a decade, driven by deep-rooted sectarian and tribal divisions and fueled by regional rivalries. The Houthis, aligned with Iran, control much of the country’s north, including the capital, Sanaa. In contrast, Saudi Arabia and its allies back the internationally recognized government in the south.

Although the Southern Transitional Council opposes the Houthis, it seeks an independent southern state. Recent clashes in southern provinces exposed tensions within the coalition, particularly between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, underscoring the fragile nature of their alliance as the conflict remains largely at a stalemate.