Saudi Arabia Draws Red Line on Security After Coalition Strike in Southern Yemen

Saudi Arabia has warned that its national security is a “red line” it is prepared to defend, hours after a Saudi-led coalition carried out air strikes on vehicles and cargo at a Yemeni port that it says were supplied by a foreign military to southern separatists.

The coalition described the attack at the port of Mukalla as a “limited military operation”, carried out days after it cautioned the separatist Southern Transitional Council against launching military action in Hadramout province.

Yemen’s Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council has pointed the finger at the United Arab Emirates, accusing it of supplying the assistance to the STC that was targeted in the strike.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said it hoped the UAE would take the “necessary steps” to safeguard bilateral relations between Gulf Arab states, signalling unease over a dispute now spilling into the open.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said two ships entered Mukalla port on Saturday and Sunday without coalition authorisation, switched off their tracking systems and unloaded large quantities of weapons and combat vehicles “to support” the STC.

According to the official Saudi Press Agency, the coalition struck after determining the scale of the threat.

“Given the danger and escalation posed by these weapons … the coalition air forces carried out a limited military operation this morning targeting weapons and combat vehicles that had been unloaded from the two ships at the port of al-Mukalla,” SPA reported.

Two sources told Reuters that the strike hit the dock where the cargo had been offloaded. The coalition said there were no casualties or collateral damage, stressing that the operation was conducted in line with international humanitarian law.

The escalation prompted a sharp response from Yemen’s presidential council chief, Rashad al-Alimi, who said on Tuesday that all forces of the United Arab Emirates must leave Yemen within 24 hours.

The strike follows a new surge in tensions after the STC launched an offensive earlier this month against Yemeni government forces aligned with the Saudi-led coalition. Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud said on X that STC fighters should “peacefully hand over” two regional governorates to the government.

Washington also weighed in. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for “restraint and continued diplomacy, with a view to reaching a lasting solution”.The STC was originally part of the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to fight the Houthis. Over time, however, the group shifted course, pushing for self-rule in southern Yemen.

Since 2022, the STC has controlled large parts of the south under a Saudi-backed power-sharing deal, while continuing to receive support from the United Arab Emirates. In recent weeks, the group has expanded its footprint, pushing out rival government forces and their allies.