Under the directives of President Commander Aidarous Qassem Al-Zubaidi, President of the Southern Transitional Council, the Supreme Commander of the Southern Armed Forces, the armed forces launched a new military operation to liberate Abyan Governorate from terrorist groups and elements external to law and order.

The military operation, dubbed "Arrows of the East", aims to purify Abyan governorate of terrorist organizations and remove the threat of the Houthi Brotherhood's conflict with Al-Qaeda, in addition to strengthening the security of the capital, Aden.

The military operation also aims to protect the roads linking the southern governorates and stop the smuggling of weapons and contraband across the coastal strip of Abyan governorate, In addition to giving the people of Abyan the opportunity to protect their land, manage their governorate affairs, secure the movement of the southern forces between the capital, Aden, and the governorates of Shabwa, Hadramawt and Al-Mahra, and remove the risk of supporting and strengthening any rebellion or possible terrorist operations in the southern governorates, especially Shabwa and Hadramout, and ending the state of division in Abyan governorate, and preparing the ground for the start of A military operation to liberate the remaining areas of Abyan from the control of the Houthi militias, in accordance with the provisions of the Riyadh Agreement.