Yemen’s port city of Mukalla bombed by Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen’s port city of Mukalla on Tuesday after a weapons shipment from the United Arab Emirates arrived for separatist forces in the war-torn country, and warned that it viewed Emirati actions as “extremely dangerous”.The bombing followed tensions over the advance of Emirates-backed separatist forces. the Southern Transitional Council. The council and its allies issued a statement supporting the UAE’s presence, even as others demanded that Emirati forces withdraw from Yemen in 24 hours’ time.
The UAE called for “restraint and wisdom” and disputed Riyadh’s allegations. But shortly after that, it said it would withdraw its remaining troops in Yemen. It remained unclear whether the separatists it backs will give up the territory they recently took.The confrontation threatened to open a new front in Yemen’s decade-long war, with forces allied against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels possibly turning their sights on each other in the Arab world’s poorest nation. It also further strained ties between Saudi and the UAE, neighbours on the Arabian Peninsula that increasingly have competed over economic issues and regional politics, particularly in the Red Sea area. Tuesday’s strikes and ultimatum appeared to be their most serious confrontation in decades, and came after Riyadh targeted the council in airstrikes Friday that analysts described as a warning for the separatists to halt their advance.
