The Saudi-led coalition carried out air strikes on a large shipment of weapons and combat vehicles destined for Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council at the port of al-Mukalla. According to the coalition, the military equipment had arrived from a port in the United Arab Emirates and was being unloaded when the operation took place.
The coalition said it targeted two ships carrying weapons meant to support the STC, which seeks to revive the former independent state of South Yemen. Saudi state news agency SPA reported that coalition air forces conducted a limited military operation early Saturday, targeting the unloaded arms and vehicles due to the threat they posed to stability. The coalition said it carried out the strike in line with international humanitarian law and caused no collateral damage.
A Yemeni port official told AFP that authorities ordered an evacuation around 15 minutes before the strike. He said workers cleared the area, and the attack hit a dirt section inside the port, where fires continued to burn afterward. SPA later shared aerial footage showing docked boats and numerous vehicles moving through the port area.
Rising tensions between allies threaten fragile balance
Yemen has remained trapped in a prolonged internal conflict, where armed factions loosely aligned with the government have increasingly turned against each other despite shared opposition to Iran-backed Houthi rebels. In recent weeks, the STC has seized large areas of the country, expelling government forces and their allies from several provinces.
The Saudi-led coalition warned on Saturday that it would support Yemen’s internationally recognised government in any military confrontation with separatist forces. Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman urged the STC to withdraw peacefully from recently seized governorates, calling the situation a sensitive moment requiring restraint.
However, the STC rejected pressure to back down and said Saudi air strikes on its positions would not deter its ambitions. Supporters of the STC have continued to rally in southern cities, including Aden, demanding a declaration of independence for South Yemen.
Meanwhile, a Yemeni military official said thousands of Saudi-backed fighters remain deployed near the Saudi border but have not received orders to advance, underscoring the fragile and shifting balance of power.
