Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen’s port city of Mukalla on Tuesday after alleging that a weapons shipment from the UAE intended for the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) had arrived at the site.
Videos of the strike show the attack targeting ships allegedly from the UAE, as well as dozens of vehicles at a port base, which Riyadh said were part of earlier unauthorized UAE shipments.
The Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen has announced that it carried out “limited” airstrikes in the last few hours on the Port of Mukalla in Southern Yemen, targeting military equipment and vehicles for the Southern Transitional Council (STC) that has arrived via… pic.twitter.com/34wsv0PG0e
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) December 30, 2025
The left footage shows the aftermath of the Saudi airstrike on the port of #Mukalla, destroying an Emirati vessel along with dozens of armored vehicles and weapons supplied by the #UAE to its separatist forces. The right image shows one of the Emirati ships engulfed in flames… pic.twitter.com/RKx2ifLpBq
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) December 30, 2025
Riyadh confirmed carrying out “limited” airstrikes on Mukalla Tuesday morning in response to what it called a “threat to its national security” and called for UAE forces to withdraw within 24 hours.
The statement followed a speech by Rashad Al Alimi, head of the Saudi-backed Yemen Presidential Council, who accused the UAE of “directing” forces to “rebel against the state authority.”
The UAE denied Saudi Arabia’s accusations but said it sent the vehicles “for use by the UAE forces operating in Yemen” and added that Riyadh was aware of the shipment in advance.
“The UAE categorically rejects any attempt to implicate the country in tensions among Yemeni parties and strongly denounces allegations that it exerted pressure on, or issued directives to, any Yemeni party to undertake military operations that would undermine the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or target its borders,” it said.
UAE’s defense ministry however announced that, “in view of recent developments,” it would voluntarily withdraw its remaining “counterterrorism” units from Yemen. No timeline was provided for the withdrawal.
Earlier this month, STC forces launched an offensive, seizing key provinces in Yemen. They claimed a total of eight governorates and renewed calls for southern Yemen to secede as an independent state.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are close allies. The UAE previously supported Saudi Arabia in the war in Yemen before withdrawing in 2019. Both countries are also key U.S. partners. Just last month, the U.S. designated Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Tuesday with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, “about the ongoing tensions in Yemen and discussed issues impacting regional security and stability,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
“The United States is concerned by recent events in southeastern Yemen. We urge restraint and continued diplomacy, with a view to reaching a lasting solution,” he said on X.
The United States is concerned by recent events in southeastern Yemen. We urge restraint and continued diplomacy, with a view to reaching a lasting solution. We are grateful for the diplomatic leadership of our partners, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) December 26, 2025
