The Saudi-led coalition has carried out targeted strikes on the Yemeni port of Mukalla, accusing foreign-backed ships of carrying weapons to southern separatists.

Yemen’s Saudi-led coalition has launched a “limited military operation” in the port of Mukalla, targeting alleged foreign military support, days after it warned the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) against military operations in Hadramaut province.

The coalition air force launched a military operation early on Tuesday, targeting unloaded weapons and vehicles, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said two ships entered the port of Mukalla on Saturday and Sunday without coalition authorization, disabled tracking systems and offloaded large quantities of weapons and combat vehicles “in support” of the strategic objectives committee.

Rashad al Alimi, head of Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council, said on Tuesday after the airstrikes that all United Arab Emirates forces must leave Yemen within 24 hours.

“Given the danger and escalation posed by these weapons…coalition air forces conducted limited military operations this morning targeting weapons and combat vehicles unloaded from two ships in the port of Mukalla,” SPA reported.

Two sources told Reuters the attack specifically targeted the terminal where cargo is being unloaded. The coalition said there were no casualties or collateral damage and stressed that the operation was conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law.

The attack comes amid heightened tensions following an STC offensive against coalition-backed Yemeni government forces earlier this month.

Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud said in a post on X that STC forces should “peacefully hand over” the two regional provinces to the government. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for “restraint and continued diplomatic efforts to reach a lasting solution.”

divided yemen

The STC was originally part of the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen against the Houthis in 2015, but the group later sought autonomy in southern Yemen. Since 2022, the STC, which previously received aid from the United Arab Emirates, has controlled southern territory outside Houthi areas under a Saudi-backed power-sharing arrangement.

In recent weeks, however, the SAC has swept across large swaths of the country, driving out other government forces and their allies.