The fragile anti-Houthi coalition has reached a breaking point as Saudi warplanes targeted a weapons shipment in Mukalla, signaling a sharp escalation in the rivalry between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
In a rare and direct strike against its own allies’ interests, Saudi Arabia launched a “limited military operation” early Tuesday morning (December 30, 2025), bombing the Yemeni port city of Mukalla. The Saudi-led coalition said the airstrikes targeted a massive shipment of armored vehicles and weapons that had arrived from the United Arab Emirates intended for the Southern Transitional Council. The move marks the most significant internal split within the anti-Houthi front in years.
The operation began shortly after two vessels from Fujairah, a port on the UAE’s eastern coast, docked in Mukalla without authorization from the coalition’s Joint Forces Command.
- The Allegation: Saudi military officials claimed the ship’s crew had disabled their tracking devices before unloading “a large amount of weapons and combat vehicles” for STC separatist forces.
- The Justification: Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki described the weapons as an “imminent threat” and a dangerous escalation that threatened regional stability.
- State of Emergency: Following the strikes, anti-Houthi forces in Yemen declared a state of emergency and issued a 72-hour ban on all border crossings, as well as entries into airports and seaports not specifically cleared by Saudi Arabia.
Mukalla is located in the Hadramout region, which the UAE-backed STC recently seized from Saudi-aligned tribal forces. While both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have spent a decade fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, they’ve increasingly backed rival factions in the south.
- Saudi Stance: Riyadh views the STC’s recent territorial gains in Hadramout and Mahra as a threat to the internationally recognized government it supports.
- UAE Stance: Abu Dhabi hasn’t officially commented on the strike yet, though it’s long supported the STC’s goal of restoring independence for South Yemen.
“Given the danger and escalation posed by these weapons… the Coalition Air Forces conducted a limited military operation this morning targeting weapons and combat vehicles unloaded from the two ships,” Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said via the Saudi Press Agency.
“This attack signals a new escalation in tensions between the kingdom and the separatist forces… It further strains ties between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi,” regional analysts noted after the dawn raid.
The strike comes just days after Saudi jets reportedly conducted “warning strikes” on Friday (December 26) to stop the STC’s advance into oil-rich eastern regions. The internal fighting is a major distraction from the war against the Houthi rebels, who still control the capital, Sanaa, and have recently focused their military efforts on targeting international shipping and Israel.
With a 72-hour lockdown now in effect, everyone’s watching to see how Abu Dhabi responds. If the UAE sees this as a direct attack on its strategic assets, the decade-long coalition could permanently fall apart, potentially allowing the Houthi movement to consolidate power while their opponents fight among themselves for control of the south.
Also Read / Russian General killed in Moscow car bombing; Ukraine suspected.
Leave a comment