Saudi Arabia accused the UAE of supplying weapons to separatist forces in Yemen after bombing the port of Mukalla, prompting Abu Dhabi to announce it would pull its remaining troops from the war-torn country.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Saudi Arabia carried out an airstrike on Yemen’s southern port city of Mukalla on Dec. 30, alleging the attack targeted a shipment of weapons that Riyadh said had arrived from the United Arab Emirates to support separatist forces, a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two longtime Gulf allies.
Following the strike, Saudi Arabia demanded that UAE forces withdraw from Yemen within 24 hours and warned that its national security constituted an inviolable “red line.” Hours later, the UAE announced it would remove its remaining forces from the country, deepening a public rupture within the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are both major members of OPEC, which is scheduled to hold a virtual meeting on Jan. 4, 2026. Analysts say any sustained dispute between the two could complicate efforts to maintain unity on oil production policy, potentially affecting global crude markets.
Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government to flee south. Saudi Arabia and the UAE intervened the following year, backing the government in a military campaign aimed at reversing Houthi gains.
Although Riyadh and Abu Dhabi entered the war as partners, their priorities have increasingly diverged. The UAE supports the Southern Transitional Council, or STC, a powerful southern faction seeking to restore an independent South Yemen, while Saudi Arabia backs the central government and allied tribal forces.
Saudi military officials said the Mukalla strike targeted weapons and military vehicles that had been unloaded at the port after the unauthorized arrival of two vessels from the UAE port of Fujairah. In a statement carried by Saudi state media, the military said the ships disabled their tracking systems upon arrival and offloaded what it described as “large quantities of weapons and combat vehicles” intended for UAE-backed separatist forces.
“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 said. Saudi officials added that the operation was conducted at night to minimize civilian casualties and collateral damage.
Saudi state television broadcast footage it said showed armored vehicles moving from the port to a staging area. Yemen’s state television aired images of black smoke rising from the port and burned vehicles. Independent verification of what was struck or the origin of the cargo was not immediately possible.
In the aftermath of the strike, Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council announced it had canceled a defense pact with the UAE and ordered all Emirati forces to leave Yemen within 24 hours. In a televised address, presidential council head Rashad al-Alimi accused the UAE of inflaming internal conflict by directing and supporting recent STC military advances.
“Unfortunately, it has been definitively confirmed that the United Arab Emirates pressured and directed the STC to undermine and rebel against the authority of the state through military escalation,” Al-Alimi said.
Saudi Arabia publicly backed Al-Alimi’s demand, warning that any further actions threatening its security interests would not be tolerated.
Hours later, the UAE confirmed it would withdraw its remaining forces from Yemen. In a statement, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was surprised by the Mukalla airstrike and expressed disappointment with Saudi Arabia’s characterization of events. The ministry denied that the shipment included weapons, saying the vehicles unloaded at the port were intended for use by UAE forces operating in Yemen and not for any Yemeni faction.
“The allegations circulating in this regard do not reflect the nature or purpose of the shipment,” the statement said.
The escalation follows a surprise offensive earlier this month by the STC, which is formally part of a Saudi-backed power-sharing arrangement governing southern Yemen and holds seats on the presidential council. STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who serves as the council’s deputy head, rejected Al-Alimi’s orders in a joint statement with other council members, arguing that the UAE remains a core partner in the fight against the Houthis and that no single authority can expel a member of the Saudi-led coalition.
Mukalla lies in Yemen’s Hadramout governorate, which STC forces seized in recent days after pushing out units aligned with Saudi-backed factions. The advance ended years of relative stalemate in southern Yemen and consolidated STC control over much of the country’s south, including key ports and oil facilities.
The Houthis continue to dominate northern Yemen, including the capital, leaving the country divided among rival authorities as tensions intensify not only between warring sides, but also within the anti-Houthi alliance itself.
Original article
Comments