The Saudi-led Arab Coalition has carried out a limited air operation targeting what it described as “external military support” delivered to Yemen through the port of Mukalla, sharply escalating tensions on the Yemeni battlefield.
According to reports by Al Jazeera, coalition aircraft struck military equipment that had entered the country without the knowledge or approval of Yemen’s internationally recognised government. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said the operation aimed to prevent violations of Yemen’s sovereignty, stressing that no unauthorised military assistance would be tolerated.
The strike took place amid rising tensions following an ultimatum issued by Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council to United Arab Emirates forces, ordering them to leave the country. Observers say the timing of the operation is widely seen as a direct message to Abu Dhabi, which is accused of backing the Southern Transitional Council through local proxies.
Tensions intensified after two vessels carrying weapons and armoured vehicles reportedly departed the UAE’s Fujairah port, switched off their tracking systems, and entered Mukalla without approval from the coalition’s Joint Forces Command. Following the incident, Saudi Arabia called on the UAE to withdraw all its troops and halt support to armed groups within 24 hours, acting on a request from the Yemeni government.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that operations in Hadramawt and Al-Mahra sponsored by the UAE were a direct danger to the Kingdom's national security and called them a "red line." Riyadh stated that delivering weapons without coordination went against the coalition's core principles and made it harder to manage Yemen.
Saudi officials said again that they support Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council and administration. They also said that the southern problem could only be solved via a political conversation that includes all Yemeni groups.
In the meanwhile, Yemen said it was cancelling its cooperative military pact with the UAE on its own. Rashad al-Alimi, the President of the Council and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, made the decision that all Emirati military troops must leave Yemen within 24 hours. The order also told the Homeland Shield Forces to take over military outposts in Hadramawt and Al-Mahra. This was a big change in Yemen's changing power dynamics.
