Saudi Arabia has backed a demand from Yemen's presidential council for the United Arab Emirates to withdraw within 24 hours, after a Saudi-led coalition bombed what it said was a weapons shipment for UAE-backed separatists at the port of Mukalla. The Saudi foreign ministry accused the UAE of pressuring the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which seeks independence for southern Yemen, to launch recent offensives in the eastern provinces of Hadramawt and al-Mahra.
The kingdom would take measures to confront what it considered such highly dangerous actions, it warned. The UAE's foreign ministry denied that the shipment contained weapons and expressed deep regret at the Saudi statement. It strongly condemned the allegations that it exerted pressure on, or directed, any Yemeni party to carry out military operations that would undermine the security of the sisterly kingdom of Saudi Arabia or target its borders.
The STC's leaders said the ultimatum for the withdrawal of the UAE's forces had no legal basis, and insisted it would remain a main partner in the battle against the Iran-backed Houthi movement.
Earlier on Monday, the head of the presidential council, which includes STC representatives, announced that he was cancelling a joint defence pact with the UAE and ordered its forces to leave in the interest of safeguarding the security of all citizens. Rashad al-Alimi declared a state of emergency for a period of 90 days to confront the Houthis and what he described as the internal strife led by mutinous military elements that received orders from the United Arab Emirates.
The announcement followed a limited air strike by the Saudi-led coalition targeting weapons and military vehicles for the STC's forces in Mukalla. No casualties were reported, but pictures showed destruction at the port facility.
The UAE's foreign ministry expressed surprise at the strike and stated that the shipments were not intended for any Yemeni parties but for Emirati forces operating in Yemen. Yemen has been ravaged by civil war since 2014, leading to a severe humanitarian crisis.
The kingdom would take measures to confront what it considered such highly dangerous actions, it warned. The UAE's foreign ministry denied that the shipment contained weapons and expressed deep regret at the Saudi statement. It strongly condemned the allegations that it exerted pressure on, or directed, any Yemeni party to carry out military operations that would undermine the security of the sisterly kingdom of Saudi Arabia or target its borders.
The STC's leaders said the ultimatum for the withdrawal of the UAE's forces had no legal basis, and insisted it would remain a main partner in the battle against the Iran-backed Houthi movement.
Earlier on Monday, the head of the presidential council, which includes STC representatives, announced that he was cancelling a joint defence pact with the UAE and ordered its forces to leave in the interest of safeguarding the security of all citizens. Rashad al-Alimi declared a state of emergency for a period of 90 days to confront the Houthis and what he described as the internal strife led by mutinous military elements that received orders from the United Arab Emirates.
The announcement followed a limited air strike by the Saudi-led coalition targeting weapons and military vehicles for the STC's forces in Mukalla. No casualties were reported, but pictures showed destruction at the port facility.
The UAE's foreign ministry expressed surprise at the strike and stated that the shipments were not intended for any Yemeni parties but for Emirati forces operating in Yemen. Yemen has been ravaged by civil war since 2014, leading to a severe humanitarian crisis.
