Saudi Arabia Strikes Mukalla Port, Deepening Rift with UAE Over Yemen Separatists

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Saudi Arabia carried out airstrikes on Yemen’s port city of Mukalla on Tuesday, saying it targeted a shipment of weapons destined for a UAE-backed separatist force, a move that sharply escalated tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi and deepened divisions within Yemen’s anti-Houthi camp.

The Saudi-led coalition said the strikes followed the arrival of vessels from the Emirati port of Fujairah carrying weapons and armored vehicles intended for the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a powerful separatist group seeking to revive the formerly independent state of South Yemen.

Riyadh later directly linked the United Arab Emirates to the STC’s recent territorial advances, warning that Abu Dhabi’s actions were “highly dangerous” and posed a threat to Saudi national security.

In a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, the coalition said the ships had disabled their tracking systems before unloading weapons in Mukalla, the capital of Yemen’s eastern Hadramout governorate.

Given what it described as the “imminent threat” posed by the shipment, the coalition said it conducted a “limited airstrike” on the offloaded equipment, adding that the operation was carried out overnight to avoid civilian casualties.

There was no immediate confirmation of casualties, and it was not clear whether forces other than Saudi Arabia participated in the strikes, while the STC’s AIC satellite channel acknowledged the strikes without providing details.

Observing experts identified one of the targeted vessels as a roll-on, roll-off ship that had been in Fujairah days earlier before arriving in Mukalla. Footage aired later by Saudi state television and circulated on social media appeared to show armored vehicles moving through the port area, some of them damaged or burning after the strikes.

Emergency measures in Yemen

The attack prompted Yemen’s internationally recognized leadership to take drastic measures. The head of the Presidential Leadership Council declared a state of emergency, cancelled a security pact with the UAE, and ordered all Emirati forces to leave Yemen within 24 hours.

Authorities also announced a 72-hour ban on border crossings, airports, and seaports in areas under their control, except those authorized by Saudi Arabia.

Mukalla, located about 480 kilometers northeast of Aden, has in recent days fallen under STC control as the group pushed out Saudi-backed National Shield Forces. The advance has alarmed Riyadh, which has warned separatists to withdraw from Hadramout and neighboring Mahra governorate, both strategically sensitive regions near the Saudi border.

The STC, though formally part of Yemen’s fractured governing coalition, has long pursued a separatist agenda and enjoys strong backing from Abu Dhabi. Its recent gains have emboldened supporters, with demonstrations and calls for renewed southern independence intensifying in areas under its influence.

Growing Saudi-Emirati rift

In a strongly worded statement, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry accused the UAE of pressuring STC forces to conduct military operations along the kingdom’s southern border, describing such actions as a direct threat to Saudi security and regional stability.

The ministry said the steps taken by Abu Dhabi were inconsistent with the principles of the Saudi-led coalition formed to restore Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

“The Kingdom stresses that any threat to its national security is a red line,” the statement said, warning that Riyadh would take “all necessary steps and measures” to confront such threats.

At the same time, Saudi Arabia reaffirmed its support for Yemen’s unity and sovereignty, while calling for dialogue to address what it described as the “just” southern cause within a comprehensive political settlement.

The confrontation underscores widening strains between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, long close allies that intervened together in Yemen’s war against the Iran-backed Houthis.

While large-scale fighting with the Houthis has largely subsided since a UN-brokered truce in 2022, unresolved rivalries among anti-Houthi factions — and competing regional interests — continue to threaten renewed instability.

The dispute also comes amid broader regional tensions, including heightened insecurity in the Red Sea and parallel disagreements between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over other regional conflicts, notably in Sudan.

Observers warn that the latest escalation in Yemen risks undermining fragile diplomatic efforts and further complicating prospects for a lasting peace.