Saudi Arabia led a “limited” airstrike on the country’s Mukalla port on Tuesday morning, publicly accusing its close ally in Yemen of “extremely dangerous” actions, following accusations that two Emirati ships handed over weapons and combat vehicles to separatist forces.
The UAE rejects the accusations, expressing surprise at the airstrike and saying the vehicles were intended to be handed over to Yemen’s Emirati forces in coordination with the Saudi-led military coalition.
The Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement that the “measures” taken by the UAE posed a threat to national security in an escalating situation that highlighted the deepening rift between the region’s closest partners.
The Saudi statement came shortly after a speech by Rashad al-Olimi, head of the Saudi-backed Yemeni Presidential Council, who accused the UAE of “directing” the military into a “revolt against state authority” and “military escalation” in the country.
“Saudi Arabia recognizes that any threat to national security is a red line that cannot be crossed, and the Kingdom will not hesitate to take all necessary steps and measures to confront and neutralize such threats,” a statement from the Saudi foreign ministry said.
Saudi Arabia says the UAE is putting “pressure” on the Southern Transitional Council, an Emirati-backed military force, to carry out operations on the Saudi border, a claim Abu Dhabi has “denounced”.
“The UAE categorically rejects any attempt to involve the United Arab Emirates in the tensions between the Yemeni parties and condemns any allegations of pressuring or directing the Yemeni parties to threaten the security of the sister Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or carry out military operations targeting its borders,” a statement from the UAE Foreign Ministry said.
Earlier this month, the UAE-backed STC launched an offensive to seize key Yemeni provinces, a move that infuriated the Saudi-backed government. The government claims the military action has fragmented the fight against the Iranian-backed Houthis in the north.
Groups allied to the STC invaded the oil-rich Hadramawt province, claiming a total of eight governorates and renewing their demands for South Yemen to secede as an independent state.
Meanwhile, Saudi aid groups in Yemen called on all Emirati forces to leave Yemeni territory within 24 hours, ending a defense pact with the UAE.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both neighboring oil giants, are close allies and important partners of the United States, controlling trillions of dollars in global assets.
Ahead of an escalation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week called for diplomacy and restraint.
“The United States is concerned by recent events in southeastern Yemen. We urge restraint and continued diplomacy to reach a durable solution. We are grateful for the diplomatic leadership of our partners, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and continue to support all efforts to advance our common security interests,” he said on X.
The two countries, along with Bahrain and Egypt, have united to blockade fellow Gulf state Qatar for more than three years, marking the Arab world’s most serious crisis in recent times. The UAE also supported Saudi Arabia in the Yemen war until it withdrew in 2019.
More than a decade of war in Yemen has left the country in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Years of fighting have worsened the country’s economic crisis and destroyed social services.
CNN’s Nadeen Ebrahim contributed to this report.
