Yemen Declares 90-Day Emergency After Saudi Airstrikes on UAE Arms

Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council declared a 90-day state of emergency on Tuesday following airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition that targeted weapons shipments at the port of Mukalla in eastern Yemen. The strikes, which hit arms and combat vehicles unloaded from two vessels originating from the United Arab Emirates, marked a significant escalation in the rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over their competing influences in the country's civil war.

The coalition reported that the ships arrived at Mukalla on December 27 and 28 without authorization from the Joint Forces Command and with their tracking systems disabled. The cargo, described by coalition officials as large quantities of weapons and military vehicles, was intended for forces aligned with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, a separatist group operating in Hadramaut and Al-Mahra provinces. These shipments came amid recent clashes between STC-affiliated fighters and Saudi-backed forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognized government.

Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki stated that the arms transfer violated the ceasefire and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216,...