Saudi Arabia warns national security is a red line, backs call for UAE forces to quit Yemen

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday said its national security was a red line and backed a call for United Arab Emirates forces to leave Yemen within 24 hours, hours after a Saudi-led coalition carried out an airstrike on the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla.

The warning came after the coalition said it had targeted what it described as foreign military support for UAE-backed southern separatists. Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council head Rashad al-Alimi set the deadline for Emirati forces to withdraw and cancelled a defence pact with the UAE, according to Yemeni state media.

Alimi accused the UAE of backing the Southern Transitional Council, saying it had pressured and directed the group to undermine state authority through military escalation. Saudi Arabia urged the UAE to comply with the demand. The UAE foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment at the time.

The UAE was part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi movement from 2015 and began drawing down its troops in 2019, while remaining engaged in Yemen. The STC later pushed for self-rule in the south and this month advanced in a sudden offensive against Saudi-backed government forces, breaking years of stalemate and claiming control over much of the south.

Saudi Arabia had warned the STC against military moves in the eastern province of Hadramout and called for its withdrawal, a demand the group rejected.

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The coalition said the Mukalla strike followed the arrival of two ships from the UAE port of Fujairah without authorisation. It alleged the vessels disabled tracking systems and unloaded weapons and combat vehicles to support the STC. Saudi state media said the strike caused no casualties or collateral damage, while Yemeni state television aired footage showing smoke rising from the port and damaged vehicles.

Alimi also announced a 72-hour no-fly zone and sea and ground blockade on ports and crossings, with exemptions only through coalition approval. Hadramout, which borders Saudi Arabia, is considered strategically important and has close historical ties with the kingdom.

The coalition said it would continue to prevent any uncoordinated military support to Yemeni factions.

The UAE later denied the allegations, saying the shipment hit in the airstrike did not contain weapons. Its foreign ministry said the vehicles unloaded were intended for UAE forces operating in Yemen and were not meant for any Yemeni party, adding it was disappointed and surprised by Saudi Arabia’s statement and the strike.