Dubai, Dec 31: Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, carried out airstrikes on Yemen’s port city of Mukalla after weapons shipments from the United Arab Emirates arrived for the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), issuing a warning that Emirati actions were “extremely dangerous.”The bombing followed days of tensions as the STC advanced in Hadramout and Mahra governorates, displacing forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces.
Saudi authorities said the ships, arriving from Fujairah in the UAE, offloaded weapons and armored vehicles for the STC, which posed an imminent threat to regional stability.
Casualties from the strike were unclear.
The UAE denied transferring weapons, stating that vehicles were sent for its own forces operating in Yemen, and urged “restraint and wisdom.”
Yemen’s anti-Houthi forces declared a state of emergency in response, ending cooperation with the UAE and ordering all Emirati personnel to evacuate within 24 hours. They also imposed a 72-hour restriction on border crossings, airports, and seaports, except those allowed by Saudi Arabia.
Despite these measures, the STC and its allies reiterated their support for the UAE presence.
The confrontation threatens to open a new front in Yemen’s decade-long conflict, potentially pitting Saudi-backed forces against UAE-backed separatists.
It has also strained relations between the two Gulf powers, who are regional partners but increasingly rivals in politics and economic influence, particularly in the Red Sea corridor and in Sudan.
Analysts suggest the strikes aim to halt weapons flows and curb the STC’s territorial gains.
The incident highlights the complexity of Yemen’s war, involving local factions, regional powers, and wider geopolitical tensions in one of the world’s most conflict-affected and humanitarian crisis-stricken nations.