Saudi strikes Yemen port over UAE arms, tensions soar.
Saudi strike reignites Saudi-UAE rift, hearts ache amid rising strains.
Saudi Arabia unleashed a precise airstrike on Yemen’s Mukalla port Tuesday morning, hearts heavy as coalition forces targeted what they called an unauthorized UAE weapons shipment, shattering fragile peace hopes in a war-weary land.
In a somber statement via the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Coalition Spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Malki revealed two vessels slipped in from UAE’s Fujairah port on December 27 and 28, dodging approvals from the Joint Forces Command. Crews slyly disabled trackers before offloading crates of weapons and military vehicles meant to bolster UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) fighters in Hadramaut and Al Mahrah—regions aching from years of strife. Al-Malki branded it a “flagrant violation” of de-escalation pacts and UN Resolution 2216, which chokes arms flows to Yemen’s chaos, his words laced with the frustration of allies turning rivals.
Acting on Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC)’s plea to shield civilians in the east, coalition jets struck swiftly, zeroing in on the illicit cargo with meticulous care. “We monitored every move, documented it all,” Al-Malki assured, emphasizing compliance with international humanitarian law—no bystanders harmed, just the tools of division neutralized. It’s a stark reminder of Riyadh’s vigilance, guardians of a coalition fraying at the edges, committed to calm in Hadramaut and Al Mahrah while vowing to slam the door on unsanctioned arms funneled past the internationally backed government.
Silence from Abu Dhabi speaks volumes, a quiet storm brewing as the UAE’s STC proxies clash with Saudi aims. This port hit peels back layers of strain between Riyadh and the Emirates, once brothers-in-arms against Iran-backed Houthis, now navigating Yemen’s tangled web where loyalties shift like desert sands. Picture dockworkers in Mukalla scattering at dawn’s roar, families huddled in homes scarred by endless war—since 2014, when Houthis stormed Sanaa, igniting a Saudi-led intervention that’s wrought devastation, famine, and the world’s grimmest humanitarian nightmare.
Yemen’s soul cries out amid the rubble: over 377,000 dead by some counts, millions displaced, children with haunted eyes foraging in aid-starved streets. Riyadh’s move feels like a father’s stern hand, protecting legitimacy from splinter groups chasing southern dreams, yet it risks widening the gulf with Abu Dhabi. For everyday Yemenis, from fishermen eyeing suspicious ships to mothers rationing scarce rice, it’s another jolt—hope flickering against superpower games. The coalition pledges unwavering resolve, but whispers of betrayal linger, testing bonds forged in fire. As dust settles over Mukalla, ordinary folks yearn for unity, not more division, dreaming of ports bustling with grain, not guns. In this human tapestry of survival, one strike echoes the pain of a nation pleading for respite.