AXADLE, Somalia — Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition struck the port of Mukalla in southeastern Yemen after alleging that weapons unloaded there were bound for the United Arab Emirates–backed Southern Transitional Council, according to officials and international media reports.
The coalition had urged civilians to evacuate areas around the port ahead of the strikes, warning the facility could become a new flashpoint in Yemen’s widening conflict. Saudi officials have accused the STC of actions that undermine Yemen’s stability and violate joint security arrangements, underscoring a dangerous rift within the coalition that has shaped the war for nearly a decade.
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The escalation lays bare growing strains between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, longtime allies that now support rival factions on the ground. The STC, which seeks autonomy or independence for southern Yemen, controls swaths of the south with Emirati backing, while Saudi Arabia has positioned itself as the primary patron of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
Amid the tensions, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council announced emergency security measures intended to prevent the crisis from spiraling. In a statement, the council said it was temporarily shutting key points of entry and imposing a state of emergency:
- Temporary closure of ports, airports and land crossings for 72 hours
- A nationwide state of emergency lasting 90 days
Officials familiar with the deliberations said the steps reflect concerns that clashes between government forces and the STC could escalate into broader conflict. There has been no independent confirmation, however, of social media claims that Yemen has voided defense agreements with the UAE or demanded Emirati troop withdrawals.
The strikes on Mukalla, a strategic port on the Gulf of Aden, arrive at a volatile moment in Yemen’s war. The conflict began in 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year. Since then the battlefield has fractured, drawing in multiple armed groups and militias whose loyalties and patrons often shift, deepening a humanitarian crisis the United Nations calls among the world’s worst.
The coalition said it would continue taking measures it deems necessary to safeguard security in Yemen. International partners have urged restraint and a return to dialogue to prevent a broader rupture between Saudi Arabia and the UAE from igniting a new front in the conflict.
What happens next may hinge on whether the Mukalla strikes remain limited or trigger retaliation by forces aligned with the STC. A prolonged confrontation could complicate any renewed political process and widen the suffering of civilians already enduring food insecurity, disrupted services and economic collapse.
For now, the airstrikes, emergency decrees and public accusations point to the most serious public test of the Saudi-UAE partnership in Yemen in years — and to the risk that a war long defined by overlapping alliances could fracture further.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
