YEMEN – Saudi-led coalition on Tuesday launched airstrikes on Mukalla port in Yemen, targeting 2 ships.

In remarks reported by the Saudi Press Agency, Coalition Forces spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said two vessels arriving from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) port of Fujairah entered the port of Mukalla on Dec. 27-28 without securing official authorization from the coalition’s Joint Forces Command.

The spokesperson said that a large quantity of weapons and combat vehicles were unloaded to support the forces of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen’s eastern governorates of Hadhramout and Mahra, “with the aim of fueling the conflict.”

“Given the danger and escalation posed by these weapons, which threaten security and stability, the Coalition Air Forces conducted a limited military operation this morning targeting weapons and combat vehicles unloaded from the two ships at the port of al-Mukalla after documenting the violations,” al-Maliki said.

He added that the operation was carried out in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules, ensuring “no collateral damage occurred.”

Al-Maliki reaffirmed the coalition’s commitment to de-escalate the tension in the eastern provinces of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra and to prevent any military shipment to any faction without coordination with the legitimate Yemeni government and the coalition.

Tension has escalated in Yemen after the Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra early this month after clashes with government forces.

The STC repeatedly claims that successive governments have politically and economically marginalized southern regions and calls for their separation from the north – claims rejected by the Yemeni authorities, as they insist on preserving the country’s territorial unity.

Yemen-UAE Defense Agreement Cancelled

Yemen on Tuesday announced the cancellation of the joint defense agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and called for the withdrawal of all Emirati forces within 24 hours, following the UAE’s arms shipment to the Southern Transitional Council forces in the south.

“All Emirati forces must withdraw from all Yemeni territory within 24 hours,” Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi said in a televised speech.

A state of emergency has been declared across the country, effective from today for a period of 90 days, along with a 72-hour air and land ban on all ports and border crossings, al-Alimi said.

Alimi said the latest Emirati move represents “a continuation of a systematic approach over years, including sustained pressure on the STC to act unilaterally, exploit the just southern cause, and attempt to paralyze constitutional state institutions represented by the Presidential Leadership Council and the government.”

He added that pressure exerted by Abu Dhabi on the STC “to undermine state authority and rebel against it through military escalation, attacks on armed forces positions, repeated assaults on Hadhramout tribes and innocent civilians” resulted in the grave violations against the Yemeni people.

“The southern issue is a just cause and lies at the heart of the project to build the state, and no one holds an alternative mandate on behalf of the people of the South,” Alimi said.

“No one has the right to exploit the southern issue to achieve political objectives,” he added.

He called on the STC to withdraw its forces from the south, noting that they refrained from responding to dialogue calls “at a time when the country was in greatest need of dialogue.”

Alimi also expressed appreciation for Saudi efforts to de-escalate tension in support of the Yemeni people.

Saudi Arabia Supports UAE Troops Withdrawal

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday asked the UAE to respond positively to a request by Yemen to withdraw its forces from the Yemeni territory within 24 hours.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed its disappointment over the “actions taken by the brotherly United Arab Emirates, pressuring the Southern Transitional Council’s forces to conduct military operations on the southern borders of the Kingdom in the governorates of Hadhramout and Al-Mahara.”

Riyadh, the statement said, considered it a “threat to the Kingdom’s national security and the security and stability” of Yemen.

“The Kingdom stresses the importance that the brotherly United Arab Emirates accept the Republic of Yemen’s request for all its forces to leave the Republic of Yemen within twenty four hours, and halt any military or financial support to any party within Yemen,” the ministry said.

It stresses that any threat to Saudi Arabia’s national security is a “red line, and the Kingdom will not hesitate to take all necessary steps and measures to confront and neutralize any such threat.”

The ministry affirmed the kingdom’s commitment to the security, stability, and sovereignty of Yemen, reiterating full support for the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

It stressed the importance of maintaining dialogue between all Yemeni parties to solve the conflict in the south.