Saudi Arabia bombs port in Yemen, says strikes targeted arms shipment for separatists from UAE

Saudi Arabia bombs the port city of Mukalla in Yemen over what it describes as a shipment of weapons for a separatist force there that arrived from the United Arab Emirates.

The attack signals a new escalation in tensions between the kingdom and the Southern Transitional Council, which is backed by the Emirates. It also further strains ties between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which had been backing competing sides in Yemen’s decadelong war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

A military statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency announces the strikes, which it says came after ships arrived there from Fujairah, a port city on the UAE’s eastern coast.

“Given the danger and escalation posed by these weapons, which threaten security and stability, the Coalition Air Forces conducted a limited military operation this morning targeting weapons and combat vehicles unloaded from the two ships at the port of al-Mukalla,” it says.

There is no immediate comment from the UAE.