RIYADH: The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen on Tuesday said it conducted a “limited” airstrike targeting two shipments of smuggled weapons and other military hardware into Mukalla in southern Yemen.
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Coalition Forces spokesman, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, said that two ships coming from the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates entered the Port of Mukalla in Hadramaut without obtaining official permits from the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition.
“The crews of the two ships disabled the tracking systems of the two ships and unloaded a large quantity of weapons and combat vehicles to support the Southern Transitional Council forces in the eastern governorates of Yemen (Hadramawt, Al-Mahra) with the aim of fueling the conflict. This is a clear violation of imposing a truce and reaching a peaceful solution, as well as a violation of UN Security Council Resolution No. (2216) of 2015 AD,” said the spokesman.
The coalition urged civilians and fishermen to evacuate the Port of Mukalla.
“In response to the request of the president of the PLC in Yemen that the Coalition forces take all necessary military measures to safeguard civilians in Hadramaut and Al Mahrah governorates, and considering that the aforementioned weapons constitute an imminent threat, and an escalation that threatens peace and stability, the Coalition Air Force has conducted this morning a limited airstrike that targeted weapons and military vehicles offloaded from the two vessels in Mukalla Port,” Al-Maliki said.
“The airstrike took place following close surveillance and documentation of the cargo, and was conducted in accordance with the Customary International Humanitarian Law, and in a manner that guarantees no collateral damage,” he added.
Google map showing the location of Mukalla in southern Yemen
The coalition later said on Tuesday that the two vessels entered the port without authorization from either the Yemeni government or the coalition, prompting the port’s closure.
The coalition said senior UAE officials were subsequently informed and urged to prevent the shipment from leaving the port to avoid it being transferred to conflict areas.
Despite this, it said the UAE moved the shipment without notifying Saudi Arabia to a base housing Emirati forces and other units involved in what it described as escalation in Yemen.
The coalition added that it had intelligence indicating the weapons were intended for distribution to locations in Hadramout, noting that the containers remained at a military base in Yemen, and said the UAE had been notified that such actions were “unacceptable.”
Rashad Al-Alimi, the president of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, warned last week that unilateral actions by the STC were pushing the country toward a dangerous tipping point.
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He affirmed the coalition’s “continued commitment to de-escalation and enforcing calm in the governorates of Hadramawt and Al-Mahra, and to prevent any military support from any country to any Yemeni faction without coordination with the legitimate Yemeni government and the Coalition. This is aimed at ensuring the success of the Kingdom and the Coalition’s efforts to achieve security and stability and prevent the conflict from spreading.”
A photograph shows damaged military vehicles, reportedly sent by the United Arab Emirates to support Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatist forces, following an air strike carried out by the coalition in the port of Mukalla, southern Yemen, on December 30, 2025. (AFP)
Saudi Arabia says national security is a red line
Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday its national security was a red line and backed a call for UAE forces to leave Yemen within 24 hours, hours after the coalition carried out an airstrike on the the port of Mukalla.
The leader of Yemen's presidential council Rashad al-Alimi declared a state of emergency on Tuesday in a decree that announced a 90-day state of emergency including a 72-hour air, sea and land blockade.
Al-Alimi also cancelled a defence pact with the UAE, the state news agency said, and accused the UAE in a televised speech of fuelling internal strife in Yemen.
“Unfortunately, it has been definitively confirmed that the United Arab Emirates pressured and directed the STC to undermine and rebel against the authority of the state through military escalation,” he added.
Disregarding previous agreements with the Coalition, the group calling itself Southern Transitional Council, or STC, launched a sweeping military campaign early in December, seizing the governorates of Hadramaut along the Saudi border and the eastern governorate of Al-Mahra in Yemen’s border with Oman.
The UAE-backed STC forces captured the city of Seiyun, including its international airport and the presidential palace. They also took control of the strategic PetroMasila oilfields, which account for a massive portion of Yemen’s remaining oil wealth.
Yemenis members of the Sabahiha tribes of Lahj, who live along the strip between the south and north of the country, gather during a rally in the coastal port city of Aden on December 14, 2025, to show their support for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which wants to revive an independent South Yemen. (AFP)
This prompted Saudi Arabia to issue a firm demand for the STC to withdraw and hand over the seized areas to the National Shield Forces, a Saudi-backed unit.
The coalition warned that any military movements undermining de-escalation efforts would be dealt with immediately to protect civilians, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
On Dec. 26, the UAE issued a statement welcoming Saudi Arabia’s efforts to support security and stability in Yemen.
The statement carried by state news agency WAM praised Saudi Arabia’s constructive role in advancing the interests of the Yemeni people and supporting their legitimate aspirations for stability and prosperity.
