Saudi Arabia on Tuesday warned the United Arab Emirates that its backing for separatist advances in Yemen was "extremely dangerous," according to an AP report. In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry directly linked Abu Dhabi to the recent gains made by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and cautioned the UAE over the group's actions.
Earlier on Tuesday, Saudi forces bombed Yemen's port city of Mukalla, claiming it was targeting an arms shipment for the STC that had originated from the UAE. The attack marks a fresh escalation in tensions between the kingdom and the separatist Southern Transitional Council, which is supported by the Emirates. It also adds further strain to relations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which had been backing rival factions in Yemen’s decade-long war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, at a time of growing unease across the broader Red Sea region.
Yemen's anti-Houthi forces declare emergency
Later on Tuesday, Yemen’s anti-Houthi forces declared a state of emergency, imposing a 72-hour ban on all border crossings in areas under their control, as well as restricting access to airports and seaports, except for those approved by Saudi Arabia.
A military statement released by the state-run Saudi Press Agency announced the strikes, saying they were carried out after ships arrived from Fujairah, a port city on the UAE’s eastern coast.
"The ships' crew had the disabled tracking devices aboard the vessels, and unloaded a large amount of weapons and combat vehicles in support of the Southern Transitional Council's forces," it said.
"Considering that the aforementioned weapons constitute an imminent threat, and an escalation that threatens peace and stability, the Coalition Air Force has conducted this morning a limited airstrike that targeted weapons and military vehicles offloaded from the two vessels in Mukalla," it added.
Saudi says operation carried out to ensure 'no collateral damage occurred'
Meanwhile, it wasn't immediately clear whether the strike caused any casualties or whether any military forces other than Saudi Arabia’s were involved. Notably, the Saudi military stated that the operation was carried out overnight to ensure that "no collateral damage occurred." The UAE did not immediately respond to a request for comment by the news agency AP. The Council’s AIC satellite news channel confirmed the strikes without providing further details.
Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen expert and founder of the risk advisory firm Basha Report, cited social media videos that appeared to show new armoured vehicles moving through Mukalla following the ship’s arrival. The vessel’s Dubai-based owners could not be reached for comment.
