Saudi Arabia carried out airstrikes on Yemen’s port city of Mukalla on Tuesday, saying it was targeting a shipment of weapons destined for a separatist force and allegedly delivered from the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE did not immediately acknowledge the strike.
The attack marks a sharp escalation in tensions between Riyadh and the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist group backed by Abu Dhabi. It also highlights growing strains between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, long-time allies who have supported rival factions in Yemen’s decade-long war.
In a statement published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, the Saudi military said the strikes followed the arrival of ships from Fujairah, a port city on the UAE’s eastern coast.
According to the statement, the vessels had disabled tracking devices and unloaded weapons and combat vehicles in support of STC forces in Mukalla.
Saudi Arabia said the weapons posed an “imminent threat” and described the operation as a “limited airstrike” aimed at military equipment that had been offloaded from two ships.
The military said the strike was conducted overnight to avoid civilian casualties. It did not say whether there were any deaths or injuries, and it was unclear whether any other forces were involved.
The UAE did not respond to requests for comment. The STC’s AIC satellite channel confirmed that strikes had taken place but provided no further details.
Analysts believe one of the targeted vessels was the Greenland, a roll-on, roll-off ship flagged in St Kitts. Tracking data showed it had been in Fujairah on 22 December before arriving in Mukalla on Sunday. A second vessel has not been identified.
Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen analyst and founder of the Basha Report consultancy, said videos circulating online appeared to show newly arrived armoured vehicles moving through Mukalla after the ship docked.
The ship’s owners, who are based in Dubai, could not be reached for comment.
Al-Basha said the strike was likely to lead to a measured response from both sides. He added that Saudi control of Yemeni airspace would make it harder for weapons to continue flowing to the STC.
Saudi state television later aired footage, said to have been filmed by a surveillance aircraft, showing armoured vehicles travelling to a staging area in Mukalla. The vehicles matched those seen in the social media videos.
Mukalla lies in Yemen’s Hadramout governorate, which the STC has taken control of in recent days. The port city is about 480 kilometres north-east of Aden, the main base of Yemen’s internationally recognised, anti-Houthi government.
The strike follows Saudi air raids last Friday that targeted STC positions in what analysts described as a warning to halt the group’s advance in Hadramout and neighbouring Mahra.
STC forces had displaced fighters aligned with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, another faction within the coalition opposing the Iranian-backed Houthi movement.
Supporters of the STC have increasingly raised the flag of South Yemen, which existed as an independent state between 1967 and 1990. Pro-secession demonstrations have taken place in recent days.
The separatist advance has added pressure to relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, close partners and fellow members of Opec, who have also competed for regional influence and international investment in recent years.
