Saudi Arabia strikes port in Yemen over weapons shipment from UAE

Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) said that its coalition forces had conducted a limited airstrike at the Port of Mukalla in eastern Yemen on Tuesday morning, December 30, after intercepting what it described as an unauthorised shipment of weapons that arrived from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, Major General Turki Al-Malki, said two vessels arrived at Mukalla on Saturday, December 27, and Sunday, December 28, from Fujairah, a port city on the UAE’s eastern coast, without securing approval from the Coalition’s Joint Forces Command.

According to the statement, the crews of the vessels disabled their tracking systems before unloading large quantities of weapons and military vehicles intended to support forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen’s Hadramaut and Al Mahrah governorates.

Al-Malki said the incident constituted a “flagrant violation” of ongoing de-escalation efforts and contravened UN Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015), which imposes restrictions on arms transfers in Yemen.

He added that, following a request from Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) to take measures to protect civilians in the eastern governorates, the Coalition Air Force carried out a targeted airstrike on Tuesday morning. The operation focused on the weapons and military vehicles that had been unloaded at Mukalla port.

The spokesperson said the strike was conducted after close monitoring and documentation of the cargo and was carried out in line with customary international humanitarian law, with measures taken to prevent any collateral damage.

The Coalition reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining calm in Hadramaut and Al Mahrah and said it would continue blocking any military support entering Yemen without coordination with the country’s internationally recognised government and the Coalition, SPA reported.

There was no immediate response from the UAE.

Saudi Foreign Ministry expresses concern over UAE actions

In a separate statement issued on Tuesday on X, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed disappointment over what it described as actions taken by the United Arab Emirates in relation to developments in eastern Yemen.

The ministry said ships carrying weapons and armoured vehicles moved from the port of Fujairah to Mukalla without obtaining official approvals from the Coalition’s Joint Forces Command, warning that such steps threatened Saudi Arabia’s national security as well as the security and stability of Yemen and the wider region.

Riyadh said the measures taken were inconsistent with the principles on which the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen was established and did not serve its stated objective of achieving security and stability in Yemen.

The ministry stressed that any threat to the Kingdom’s national security constituted a “red line” and said Saudi Arabia would not hesitate to take all necessary measures to confront and neutralise such threats.

It reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to Yemen’s security, sovereignty and stability, reiterating its support for the Yemeni government and the Presidential Leadership Council. The ministry said the southern issue could only be resolved through dialogue within a comprehensive political settlement involving all Yemeni parties, including the STC.

The statement also urged the UAE to comply with Yemen’s request for all foreign forces to leave the country within 24 hours and to halt military or financial support to any Yemeni party. Riyadh said it hoped wisdom and Gulf Cooperation Council principles would prevail to preserve bilateral relations and regional stability.

The strike comes amid heightened tensions involving the UAE-backed STC and reflects deeper strains between Riyadh

and Abu Dhabi, which have supported different actors in Yemen’s conflict against the Iran-backed Houthi movement.

Yemen has been in civil war since 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year. The conflict has since caused widespread destruction and one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.