Saudi Arabia executed airstrikes on Yemen's Mukalla port Tuesday, obliterating what it characterized as an illicit weapons cache shipped from the United Arab Emirates to separatist forces, AP reported. Riyadh directly blamed the UAE for the separatists' recent territorial expansion, warning Abu Dhabi that its intervention was "extremely dangerous."
The bombardment marks a severe deterioration in relations between the kingdom and the Southern Transitional Council, a militant group bankrolled by the Emirates. This incident exacerbates tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, who have sponsored rival factions in Yemen's decade-long war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, unsettling the wider Red Sea region, according to AP. While technically allies on many Middle Eastern fronts, the two nations have increasingly engaged in economic and political rivalry.
Yemen's anti-Houthi leadership declared a state of emergency Tuesday, formally ending cooperation with the UAE and ordering all Emirati personnel to depart within 24 hours. Authorities also imposed a 72-hour lockdown on all border crossings, airports, and seaports in their jurisdiction, exempting only Saudi-approved transit.
A military dispatch via the state-run Saudi Press Agency confirmed the operation, citing the arrival of vessels from Fujairah on the UAE's east 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," the statement asserted, according to AP.
"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," the statement continued.
Casualties remain unconfirmed, as does the participation of non-Saudi forces. The Saudi military claimed the overnight timing ensured "no collateral damage occurred." The UAE did not immediately respond to AP inquiries, though the state-aligned daily The National covered the strike.
AIC, a Council-affiliated satellite channel, acknowledged the attack without elaborating, according to the wire service. Analysts pinpointed the likely target as the Greenland, a St. Kitts-flagged vessel. AP tracking data showed the ship in Fujairah on Dec. 22 before docking in Mukalla on Sunday; a second ship remains unidentified.
Mohammed al-Basha of the Basha Report noted social media clips showing new armored vehicles in Mukalla post-arrival. The ship's Dubai owners could not be reached.
"I expect a calibrated escalation from both sides. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council is likely to respond by consolidating control," al-Basha told AP. "At the same time, the flow of weapons from the UAE to the STC is set to be curtailed following the port attack, particularly as Saudi Arabia controls the airspace."
Saudi state television later broadcast aerial surveillance footage purporting to show the hardware moving toward a staging ground, corroborating online videos. Mukalla lies in the Hadramout governorate, recently captured by the Council, about 300 miles northeast of Aden, the interim capital for anti-Houthi forces since the 2014 fall of Sanaa.
Tuesday's action follows Saudi airstrikes on Friday, which observers interpreted as a stark ultimatum for separatists to abandon Hadramout and Mahra, AP reported. The Council had previously ejected units from the Saudi-funded National Shield Forces, a separate anti-Houthi coalition partner. Separatist affiliates have increasingly hoisted the flag of South Yemen, a sovereign state from 1967 to 1990, while demonstrators rally for renewed independence.
These maneuvers have strained ties between OPEC members Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who ostensibly maintain close relations but battle for regional clout, according to AP. Conflict has also surged in Sudan, another Red Sea state where the Gulf powers back opposing sides. On Tuesday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry explicitly linked the Council's advance to Emirati backing.
"The kingdom notes that the steps taken by the sisterly United Arab Emirates are extremely dangerous," the statement read, according to AP.Meanwhile, Israel became the first nation in 30 years to recognize Somaliland's independence. This move alarmed the Houthis, who threatened to attack any Israeli presence there.
