SAUDI ARABIA bombed Yemen’s port city of Mukalla today, marking a sharp escalation in tensions after a weapons shipment from the United Arab Emirates arrived to support southern insurgents.

Riyadh warned that the Emirati action was “extremely dangerous” and accused Abu Dhabi of backing forces that threaten Yemen’s stability. 

The air strikes followed mounting tensions over the advance of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which has seized territory in eastern Yemen in recent days.

In a statement, the Saudi-led coalition said vessels arriving from the Emirati port of Fujairah had disabled their tracking systems and unloaded weapons and military vehicles for the STC. 

It said the shipment posed an “imminent threat” and that coalition aircraft carried out a “limited air strike” targeting the offloaded equipment. 

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.

The UAE denied shipping weapons but acknowledged sending vehicles “for use by UAE forces operating in Yemen,” insisting Saudi Arabia had prior knowledge of the delivery.

It called for “restraint and wisdom” and later announced it would withdraw its remaining troops from Yemen, citing concerns over the safety and effectiveness of counter-terrorism operations. 

No timeline was provided for the withdrawal. 

The confrontation risks opening a new front in Yemen’s decade-long war, with forces nominally allied against the Houthi movement now in conflict.

It has also placed renewed strain on Saudi-Emirati relations, which have increasingly been marked by rivalry over regional influence, particularly around the Red Sea.

Anti-Houthi forces not aligned with the STC declared a state of emergency following the bombing, ending co-operation with the UAE and imposing a temporary ban on border crossings, airports and seaports in areas they control. 

The STC condemned the strike as an “unjustified escalation against ports and civilian infrastructure,” warning it would intensify calls for “popular demands for decisive action and the declaration of a South Arabian state.”

The attack likely targeted a ship identified as the Greenland, a vessel flagged out of St Kitts. 

Tracking data showed the vessel had been in Fujairah on December 22 and arrived in Mukalla on Sunday. 

The second vessel could not be immediately identified.

UN spokeswoman Jens Laerke urged all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, warning that disruption to Mukalla’s port could worsen Yemen’s already dire humanitarian crisis.

The war has killed more than 150,000 people and displaced millions, leaving Yemen facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.