Emirati forces initially entered Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition after the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014. While the UAE withdrew most of its troops in 2019, it retained a limited presence in the government-controlled south.
Al Mukalla, Yemen: The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday announced it would withdraw its remaining forces from Yemen, after Saudi Arabia demanded an Emirati pullout within 24 hours amid escalating tensions over a rapid advance by Abu Dhabi-backed separatists.
The UAE defence ministry said it was withdrawing “counter-terrorism teams… of its own volition,” while denying involvement in the separatists’ recent offensive.
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Earlier in the day, Yemen’s presidential council and Saudi Arabia, the UAE’s rival power broker in Yemen, both called on Emirati troops to leave the country.
Before dawn, the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels carried out airstrikes on an Emirati shipment at the port of Mukalla, claiming it was transporting weapons for separatist forces — an allegation denied by Abu Dhabi.
AFP footage from the port showed dozens of military vehicles and pick-up trucks parked at the site, several of them burnt out and still smouldering as workers doused them with water.
The dramatic developments follow advances this month by forces of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) across the resource-rich provinces of Hadramawt and Mahra, triggering fresh instability in Yemen’s decade-long conflict.
The STC’s gains have revived fears of a revival of South Yemen — a separate state from 1967 to 1990 — and dealt a blow to already fragile peace talks with the Houthis.
Emirati forces initially entered Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition after the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014. While the UAE withdrew most of its troops in 2019, it retained a limited presence in the government-controlled south.
‘Highly dangerous’
The latest withdrawal follows a rare public rift between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. Saudi Arabia accused the UAE of pressuring STC forces “to conduct military operations” along the kingdom’s southern border.
“The steps taken by the UAE are considered highly dangerous,” Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said, adding: “The Kingdom stresses that any threat to its national security is a red line.”
On Tuesday, Yemen’s presidential council leader dissolved a defence pact with the UAE and declared a 90-day state of emergency.
Abu Dhabi rejected accusations of backing the separatist advance and insisted the Mukalla shipment contained only vehicles for its own forces.
“The UAE condemns the claims made regarding the exertion of pressure or direction on any Yemeni party to carry out military operations,” a statement said, adding: “The shipment in question did not contain any weapons, and the vehicles unloaded were not intended for any Yemeni party.”
Despite the standoff, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE signalled openness to talks.
“Diplomacy is still an option to stop any further escalation,” a source close to the Saudi-led coalition told AFP.
The STC, however, showed no sign of backing down.
“There is no thinking about withdrawal,” STC spokesman Anwar Al-Tamimi told AFP. “It is unreasonable for the landowner to be asked to leave his own land. The situation requires staying and reinforcing.”
“We are in a defensive position, and any movement toward our forces will be responded to by our forces,” he added.
Tamimi said Saudi Arabia had deployed around 20,000 security personnel along its border with Hadramawt, close to STC-held positions.
The STC remains part of Yemen’s internationally recognised government — a fragile alliance united primarily by opposition to the Houthis.
Mukalla resident Abdullah Bazuhair described the impact of the airstrikes on his home overlooking the port.
“The children were terrified and the women frightened,” he said, calling the strikes “unacceptable to God”.
The Saudi-led coalition has warned it would back Yemen’s government in any confrontation with separatist forces and urged them to withdraw. The strike followed reported Saudi air raids on separatist positions in Hadramawt last week.
A Yemeni military official said around 15,000 Saudi-backed fighters had gathered near the border, though no orders to advance had yet been issued.
Published: 30 Dec 2025, 11:28 pm IST
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