Saudi Arabia bombed Mukalla – Yemen’s port city – on Tuesday, December 30, after an arms shipment allegedly from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) arrived at the port, while also issuing a warning to Abu Dhabi to leave the country within 24 hours. Following the bombing, the UAE said it was withdrawing its remaining forces in Yemen. It was unclear whether the airstrikes resulted in any casualties in Mukalla.
The Mukalla bombing came after tensions flared over the advance of an Emirati-backed separatist force known as the Southern Transitional Council. While the council and its allies issued statements supporting the UAE presence, other allies including Saudi Arabia demanded that Emirati forces withdraw from Yemen within 24 hours.
The UAE had earlier called for “restraint and wisdom”, but later agreed to the demands and announced it was withdrawing its forces from the country.
Coalition-led airstrike in Mukalla
The Saudi Press Agency issued a military statement announcing the bombings in Mukalla. The statement said the raids took place after ships allegedly carrying weapons arrived at the city’s port from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
The statement read: “The ship’s crew disabled the surveillance equipment on board the vessels and unloaded a large number of weapons and combat vehicles in support of the Southern Transitional Council forces.
“Given that the above weapons pose an imminent threat and an escalation that threatens peace and stability, the Coalition Air Force this morning conducted a limited airstrike targeting weapons and military vehicles unloaded from two vessels in Mukalla,” he added.
What did the UAE say?
The UAE initially denied that it had shipped weapons to Mukalla, but said the shipment carried vehicles “for use by UAE forces operating in Yemen”. It also announced that “recent developments and their potential impacts on the security and effectiveness of counter-terrorism operations” would begin to be withdrawn from the city.
Will the withdrawal arrive within 24 hours? The UAE did not mention a timeline for its withdrawal.
Mukalla is in the Yemeni governorate of Hadramout, which was seized by the council in recent days. The port city is about 480 kilometers (300 miles) northeast of Aden, which was the seat of power for anti-Houthi forces after the rebels seized the capital Sanaa in 2014.
