Yemeni President Muhamad al Alimi declared an end to defense agreements with the United Arab Emirates and set a 24-hour deadline for the withdrawal of Emirati forces from Yemeni territory. In addition, he announced the start of a 72-hour air, sea and land blockade with the exception of Saudi-led coalition forces and declared a state of emergency for a period of 90 days. This series of measures comes after the seizure of weapons and military vehicles allegedly sent from the United Arab Emirates to the Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist group with a presence in the south and east of the country, as reported by the Saudi state agency SPA and carried by the media.
According to SPA, coalition military spokesman Turki al Maliki reported that two ships left the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates over the weekend for the port of Mukala in southern Yemen. The ships entered Yemeni waters without appropriate official authorization and also deactivated their tracking systems. The ships unloaded a significant amount of weapons and combat vehicles to bolster the Southern Transitional Council, coinciding with an escalation of tensions in the region, the agency said.
The operation carried out by the Saudi-led coalition included an airstrike on equipment unloaded at Mukala port after the arrival of military cargo was confirmed. Spokesman Al Maliki noted that the intervention aimed to limit the impact of war materials on Yemen’s internal conflict, noting that the action respected international humanitarian law and ensured there was no collateral damage.
SPA also reported that the Saudi government expressed concern about an intensification of hostilities motivated by the unilateral supply of weapons, assigning primary responsibility to the Southern Transition Council and calling for a peaceful withdrawal from Hadramut and Mahra provinces. Riyadh stressed that any foreign military support must come through the officially recognized government and be coordinated with the coalition to avoid escalating the confrontation.
The Saudi agency reported that the Southern Transitional Council, which proclaims the establishment of a state in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, controls relevant areas in the south and east of Yemen. This group is supported by the Hadramut elite forces, who retain control of the cities of Mukalla and Ash Shihr. So far, the United Arab Emirates has not commented on Tuesday’s operation, which resulted in the destruction of military equipment from its territory, despite publicly praising Saudi Arabia’s efforts to stabilize Yemen days earlier, according to SPA.
In a televised message reproduced by the Saudi agency, Al Alimi thanked Saudi Arabia for its military and diplomatic support and held the United Arab Emirates directly responsible for its contribution to the escalation. “The delivery of weapons on two ships from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates to the Transitional Council is a step of escalation,” the president said. He argued that the Emirati’s activities were at odds with the Yemeni people and denounced that the Southern Transitional Council had ignored calls for dialogue and refused to take part in negotiations.
The Yemeni president also noted that his government had ordered the mobilization of state forces to regain control of camps and positions in the eastern governorates and urged the restoration of the authority of internationally recognized institutions. He made it clear that while he recognized the legitimacy of certain demands from the south, he rejected institutional breaks: “It is an unacceptable rebellion that cannot be justified,” said Al Alimi, who stressed that “the blood of Yemenis is a red line that must not be crossed.”
As SPA reports, the territorial and political distribution in Yemen remains fragmented. The Southern Transitional Council dominates areas in the south and east, retains military control at strategic points and resists calls to give up disputed provinces. This group insists on its project of creating a “fair federal state” with representation from all population groups. For its part, the government recognized by the international community retains the provinces of Marib and Taiz, located in the northeast and southwest of the country, while the center and north remain under the power of the Houthis, allies of Iran.
The Southern Transitional Council’s unilateral willingness to retain territory and receive foreign logistics and weapons support has been questioned by the Saudi executive. The coalition claims that these movements represent an “unjustified escalation” and violate the agreements aimed at a peaceful solution. They also violate UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which imposes an arms embargo on several individuals and entities related to the Yemen crisis, SPA reports.
Meanwhile, the coalition’s military spokesman said in the statement that monitoring and coordinating actions remains a priority for allied countries, which reaffirm their commitment to preventing the external supply of weapons to Yemeni groups outside the legitimate government. The spokesman explained that coalition unity and containing the conflict requires a transparent and legal flow of military assistance, stressing the need to strengthen surveillance mechanisms at sea and land entry and exit.
Over the past week, tensions have increased between key players in Yemen, driven by the arrival of military materiel from foreign ports and the territorial consolidation of secessionist forces. The response of the Yemeni government and the international coalition is aimed at restoring institutional order and preventing a new cycle of armed escalation, as the SPA emphasized in its recent messages.
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