RIYADH – Yemen conflict took dramatic turn after United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia publicly confronted each other after Saudi-led airstrike on Yemen’s Mukalla port, exposing deep fractures within the coalition that has fought together for nearly a decade.
The strike targeted cargo being unloaded from two ships arriving from the UAE, which Saudi Arabia claimed were carrying weapons and combat vehicles intended to support the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC).
Saudi officials said the ships entered the port without authorization, switched off their tracking systems, and unloaded military equipment, prompting what Riyadh described as a “limited air operation.” Saudi media reported no casualties but warned that such actions posed a serious threat to the Kingdom’s national security.
UAE categorically denied accusations, insisting that no weapons were included in the shipment and that the vehicles unloaded at Mukalla were solely for the use of Emirati forces operating in Yemen. Abu Dhabi said the transfer had taken place with prior high-level coordination with Saudi Arabia and that there was an understanding the vehicles would not leave the port.
Emirati officials said they were “surprised” by the targeting of the cargo and rejected claims by the Saudi-led coalition that the UAE was fueling the conflict, arguing that such statements were issued without consultation with coalition partners.
As tensions escalated, Saudi Arabia accused the UAE of violating coalition principles and undermining peace efforts in Yemen by backing the STC, which seeks autonomy for southern Yemen and controls large swathes of territory, including the strategically vital Hadramawt province along the Saudi border.
Riyadh alleged that UAE had pressured STC forces to conduct military operations near Saudi territory and warned that these actions were “extremely dangerous” and would not be tolerated. Saudi Arabia supported a demand by Yemen’s internationally recognized government for the UAE to withdraw its forces within 24 hours and halt all military and financial support to Yemeni factions.
Amid growing crisis, UAE Ministry of Defense announced end of its remaining military missions in Yemen, saying its main combat role concluded in 2019 and that only limited counterterrorism teams had remained since then. Citing recent developments, security concerns, and coordination considerations, UAE said it was now withdrawing those teams as well. Abu Dhabi stressed that its presence in Yemen had been at the request of the legitimate Yemeni government and within the framework of the Saudi-led coalition, stressing that it had made significant sacrifices since the start of the war.
As both nations fought together against Iran-backed Houthi movement, their interests increasingly diverged, with Riyadh backing internationally recognized government and Abu Dhabi supporting southern separatist forces. Mukalla incident turned long-standing, largely quiet rivalry into an open dispute, raising fears of further instability in a country already devastated by years of war and regional power struggles.
