DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes on Yemen's port city of Mukalla, targeting a shipment of weapons allegedly intended for the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist force supported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE did not respond immediately to the strike which underscores the escalating tensions between Riyadh and the STC, as both sides have distinct alliances in Yemen’s protracted civil war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
The military statement, released by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, claimed that the airstrikes were prompted by the arrival of ships from Fujairah, a port city on the UAE's eastern coast. The statement indicated that crews aboard the vessels had "disabled tracking devices" and offloaded a significant quantity of weapons and military vehicles intended to bolster the STC’s forces.
The coalition of Saudi Arabia and its allies asserted that these weapons posed an "imminent threat," prompting a "limited airstrike" aimed at preventing further escalation and ensuring no collateral damage occurred. However, details regarding potential casualties from the strikes were not immediately available, and it remains uncertain if forces beyond Saudi Arabia were involved in the operation. The STC's media outlet acknowledged the strikes but refrained from providing additional information.
Analysts have suggested that the airstrikes likely targeted a vessel identified as the Greenland, a roll-on, roll-off ship flagged from St. Kitts, which had arrived in Mukalla after departing from Fujairah. Tracking data confirmed that the vessel had reached Mukalla on Sunday. A second vessel involved in the incident has not yet been identified.
Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen expert and founder of the Basha Report risk advisory firm, pointed to social media footage claiming to show new armored vehicles moving through Mukalla following the vessel's arrival. Efforts to reach the owners of the ship, based in Dubai, have been unsuccessful. Al-Basha anticipates an "incremental escalation" from both sides, with the UAE-backed STC likely consolidating its control while the flow of arms from the UAE may diminish in response to Saudi Arabia's assault.
Additional footage aired by Saudi state television, reportedly captured from a surveillance aircraft, appeared to display armored vehicles moving through Mukalla towards a staging area, corresponding with the social media reports. Mukalla, located in Yemen's Hadramout governorate, has recently been seized by the STC. The city is approximately 480 kilometers (300 miles) northeast of Aden, the base of anti-Houthi governance since the rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.
Following the airstrike in Mukalla, Saudi Arabia had previously targeted the STC with airstrikes on Friday, interpreted as a warning for the separatists to stop their territorial advances in Hadramout and Mahra. The STC has recently expelled forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, causing more friction between the involved parties.
Supporters of the STC have increasingly been demonstrating with the flag of South Yemen, a region that existed as an independent nation from 1967 until its unification with North Yemen in 1990. Calls for secession from Yemen have surged, leading to escalating tensions between the separatists and the Saudi-led coalition.
The ongoing actions of the STC pose challenges for the Saudi-UAE relationship, as both nations maintain close geopolitical ties and are members of the OPEC oil cartel. However, they have recently competed for influence and business opportunities, diversifying their economic engagements. This fluid situation in Yemen coincides with violent escalation in Sudan, where Saudi Arabia and the UAE back opposing factions in the ongoing conflict.
In a broader regional context, Israel’s recent recognition of Somaliland as an independent nation has raised alarms among the Houthis, who claim to support the oppressed regions in the face of perceived Israeli encroachment.
