Saudi Airstrike on Yemen Port Triggers UAE Military Withdrawal Amid Rising Tensions
On December 30, 2025, the UAE defence ministry announced the withdrawal of its remaining forces in Yemen following a Saudi-led airstrike targeting the port of Mukalla. Saudi Arabia claimed the strike was aimed at intercepting a weapons shipment bound for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC). However, the UAE countered that the shipment contained no weapons and was intended for its own forces.
The situation intensified as the STC made significant gains in the regions of Hadhramut and Mahrah. Concurrently, Saudi-backed forces withdrew from the southern city of Aden, where the STC seized the presidential palace. Saudi officials described the move as a strategic repositioning.
In response to the unfolding crisis, Rashad al-Alimi, Yemen's chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, ordered all UAE military forces to withdraw within 24 hours, imposed a 90-day state of emergency, and blocked all land and sea ports for 72 hours. Despite this directive, the STC rejected the withdrawal order, with STC spokesperson Anwar Al-Tamimi asserting there would be no retreat and that the council would defend its territory.
These developments have deepened the rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Analysts reported the assembly of up to 20,000 Saudi-backed troops along Yemen's border. On the international front, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio engaged in discussions with his Saudi and UAE counterparts, while United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for de-escalation.
The ongoing conflict in Yemen has resulted in approximately 377,000 casualties, with nearly half of the population facing hunger. The airstrike targeted the ship identified as Greenland, a roll-on/roll-off vessel registered in St Kitts, which had arrived in Mukalla after a stop in Fujairah. A second vessel involved has not been identified.
