On 30 December 2025, Saudi Arabia carried out an airstrike on the port city of Mukalla in Yemen, targeting what Riyadh claimed was a shipment of weapons supplied by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) intended for the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a faction seeking independence for southern Yemen. In response, the UAE announced the withdrawal of its remaining counterterrorism personnel from Yemen, emphasizing that the decision to withdraw its personnel was made “of its own volition” and was not a direct response to Saudi pressure. The Emirati Ministry of Defence also denied accusations that they were sending weapons to the STC, insisting that the vehicles involved in the Mukalla shipment were intended for Emirati forces and not Yemeni factions. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs then expressed “disappointment” with the UAE, accusing Abu Dhabi of pressuring the STC to heighten military hostility against Saudi-backed forces in the eastern provinces of Hadramout and al-Mahra. “This escalation constitutes a threat to the kingdom’s national security,” the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared, stressing that such threats would not be tolerated. UAE’s Position The UAE has been involved in Yemen’s military conflict since…
