Saudi airstrikes hit Mukalla Port: UAE weapons shipment targeted in Yemen

Dubai: Saudi warplanes bombed the port city of Mukalla on Tuesday, targeting a shipment of weapons and armoured vehicles that Riyadh claims was sent from the United Arab Emirates to bolster southern separatist forces.

The strike marks a sharp escalation in friction between Saudi Arabia and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC). It also risks a direct diplomatic rupture between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, the two primary partners in a decade-long coalition that has been fighting Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.

Following the bombardment, anti-Houthi forces in Yemen declared a state of emergency, imposing a 72-hour ban on all border crossings and closing airports and seaports in territory they control, except for those authorised by Saudi Arabia.

A military statement released by the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said the airstrikes targeted cargo that arrived from Fujairah, a major port on the UAE’s eastern coast. The coalition accused the crews of two vessels of disabling their tracking devices before unloading "a large amount of weapons and combat vehicles" to support the STC’s recent territorial advances.

“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.
 

The Saudi military reported that the operation was carried out overnight to ensure “no collateral damage occurred.” While the UAE did not immediately issue a formal response, The National, an English-language newspaper linked to the Abu Dhabi government, reported on the strike without mentioning the origin of the shipment.

Tracking data analysed by The Associated Press identified one of the ships as the Greenland, a St. Kitts-flagged vessel that had been in Fujairah on Dec. 22 before arriving in Mukalla on Sunday.

"I expect a calibrated escalation from both sides," said Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen expert and founder of the risk advisory firm Basha Report. "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."

The strike follows similar Saudi aerial warnings issued Friday after the STC seized government buildings in the Hadramout and Mahra governorates, displacing Saudi-backed "National Shield Forces." The separatist push has revitalised calls for the independence of South Yemen, which existed as a separate state until 1990.

The growing internal conflict among anti-Houthi allies mirrors broader regional tensions. Similar proxy competition between Saudi Arabia and the UAE has emerged in Sudan’s ongoing civil war. Meanwhile, Israel’s recent recognition of Somaliland as an independent nation has drawn threats from Houthi rebels, further complicating the security of the Red Sea corridor.

With inputs from AP