- Saudi Arabia conducted an airstrike on Yemen’s Mukalla Port after identifying UAE-linked shipments of armored vehicles and weapons intended for the Southern Transitional Council, according to Clash Report.
- The strike followed Saudi demands for UAE forces to leave Yemen within 24 hours, as Yemen’s presidential council canceled a defense pact with the UAE and accused Abu Dhabi of backing separatist military actions.
Saudi Arabia carried out an airstrike on Yemen’s Mukalla Port after determining that ships carrying armored vehicles and weapons for UAE-backed separatist forces were present at the facility, according to a report by Clash Report.
The strike targeted vessels described as transporting military equipment from the United Arab Emirates intended for the Southern Transitional Council, a UAE-backed force operating in southern Yemen. The incident marks a sharp escalation in tensions between Saudi-backed and UAE-backed factions inside the Saudi-led coalition.
Saudi officials said the strike followed warnings to pro-UAE forces after they seized large areas of eastern Yemen, moves that Riyadh said ignored direct Saudi warnings and even a prior warning airstrike. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia publicly declared that its national security was a red line and supported a demand for UAE forces to leave Yemen within 24 hours.
The Saudi-led coalition confirmed that it struck what it described as foreign military support to UAE-backed southern separatists at Mukalla, a key port city on Yemen’s southern coast. The airstrike came hours after Saudi-backed authorities issued a formal ultimatum to Abu Dhabi regarding its military presence and activities in Yemen.
Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council also took parallel political steps. The council’s head, Rashad al-Alimi, cancelled a defense pact with the United Arab Emirates, Yemen’s state news agency reported. In a televised address, al-Alimi accused Abu Dhabi of driving internal conflict through its backing of the STC.
“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 in the speech.
Saudi Arabia urged the Emirati leadership to comply with the withdrawal demand. As of the time of publication, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not responded to requests for comment on the allegations or the reported strike.
Mukalla Port, located in eastern Yemen, is a strategic maritime hub used for commercial shipping and humanitarian access. Control over the port carries military and political importance due to its proximity to contested territory and sea lanes in the Arabian Sea. Saudi officials said the strike was aimed at preventing the transfer of military equipment to forces acting outside the authority of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
The Southern Transitional Council, which seeks greater autonomy or independence for southern Yemen, has received backing from the UAE and controls key areas including Aden. Saudi Arabia has supported Yemen’s central government and has repeatedly warned against unilateral territorial seizures by coalition-aligned factions.
The Saudi-led coalition was formed to counter Iran-aligned Houthi forces, but internal fractures among coalition partners and local allies have increasingly shaped the conflict. The events at Mukalla highlight growing friction between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over influence, command authority, and end-state objectives in Yemen.
Saudi officials framed the strike and the subsequent ultimatum as measures tied to national security concerns rather than a broader military escalation. No casualty figures or damage assessments were released in connection with the Mukalla airstrike.