Saudi-led coalition carries out “limited airstrike” on seaport in Yemen
According to the coalition, which was formed in 2015 to support Yemen’s internationally recognized government against Houthi rebels, the strike targeted weapons and combat vehicles unloaded from ships arriving from the UAE. The military cargo was allegedly destined for the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a group seeking autonomy in southern Yemen.
The statement indicated that over the weekend, two vessels arrived from the UAE port of Fujairah without government authorization and docked at Mukalla, the only port in Hadramout governorate. The ships reportedly disabled their tracking systems and offloaded significant amounts of military equipment “to support the STC.” At the request of Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad al-Alimi, coalition forces struck the supplies early Tuesday, reportedly causing no casualties or collateral damage.
The STC initially fought alongside the Saudi-led coalition during the outbreak of Yemen’s civil war in 2014 but later shifted focus toward southern self-rule. Since 2022, they have controlled large portions of southern Yemen under a power-sharing agreement, seizing key areas including Hadramout and Mahrah provinces near the Saudi border. Meanwhile, the Houthis control northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, after pushing the Saudi-backed government south. Tuesday’s strike follows earlier reports of Saudi air attacks on separatist positions in Hadramout.
The UAE’s foreign ministry has not immediately commented. Following the strike, Alimi declared a 90-day state of emergency in Yemen, imposing a 72-hour air, sea, and land blockade, and canceled a security pact with the UAE. In a televised statement, he demanded the STC surrender territory to Saudi-backed forces, called the separatist advance an “unacceptable rebellion,” and ordered UAE forces to leave Yemen within 24 hours.
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