Coalition strike sparks sharp rift among former allies
:contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0} has backed a demand from Yemen’s presidential council calling on the :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1} to withdraw its forces within 24 hours, following a Saudi-led coalition air strike on the southern port city of Mukalla. The strike targeted what the coalition said was a shipment of weapons destined for UAE-backed separatist forces.
The Saudi foreign ministry accused the UAE of pressuring the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist group seeking independence for southern :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}, to launch recent military offensives in the eastern provinces of Hadramawt and al-Mahra. Riyadh warned that such actions were “highly dangerous” and said it would take steps to counter them.
UAE rejects allegations and condemns air strike
Abu Dhabi denied that the shipment contained weapons and said it was “deeply regretful” of Saudi Arabia’s public accusations. The UAE’s foreign ministry insisted that the vehicles unloaded at Mukalla were intended solely for Emirati forces operating in Yemen and not for any Yemeni faction.
The STC also rejected the ultimatum, arguing that the call for a UAE withdrawal had no legal basis. Its leaders said the group would remain a “main partner” in the fight against the Iran-backed Houthi movement, which controls much of northwestern Yemen.
Yemen’s presidential council escalates response
Earlier on Monday, Yemen’s presidential council chairman Rashad al-Alimi announced the cancellation of a joint defense pact with the UAE and ordered Emirati forces to leave the country. He also declared a 90-day state of emergency, citing the need to confront the Houthis and what he described as internal unrest fueled by UAE-backed elements.
The Saudi-led coalition confirmed it carried out a “limited” strike on military vehicles at Mukalla, saying the shipments posed an imminent threat to stability. Port officials reported that the area was evacuated before the strike and that no casualties were recorded, though multiple vehicles were destroyed.
Growing tensions in a long-running conflict
Tensions have risen sharply in recent weeks as STC forces launched operations in Hadramawt and al-Mahra, bringing them into direct conflict with government troops. The STC says its actions are aimed at restoring security and countering both the Houthis and extremist groups, including al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
Yemen has been engulfed in civil war since 2014, when Houthi forces seized the capital, Sanaa. The conflict escalated a year later with the intervention of a Saudi-led coalition. More than 150,000 people are believed to have died, and the war has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Once uneasy allies against the Houthis, the Yemeni government and southern separatists have increasingly clashed in recent years. The latest dispute between Saudi Arabia and the UAE underscores the fragile alliances and deep divisions shaping the future of Yemen.