Saudi Arabia Mukalla Yemen Strike Targets UAE-Backed Separatist Weapons

A coalition in name, but a battlefield in reality. On Dec 30, 2025, Saudi Arabia bombed the port city of Mukalla in Yemen. The lightning-fast strike targeted a shipment of weapons intended for a separatist force backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), signaling a dangerous escalation between the two nominal allies.

Saudi Arabia Mukalla Yemen Strike 2025: Strategic Breakdown

According to a military statement from the Saudi Press Agency, the air force conducted a "limited military operation" overnight. The targets were ships that had recently arrived from Fujairah, a port on the UAE’s eastern coast. The Saudi military claimed the vessels were unloading combat vehicles and heavy weaponry for the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a group pushing for southern secession.

Satellite and tracking data analyzed by AP suggests the primary target was the Greenland, a St. Kitts-flagged roll-on, roll-off vessel. The ship was spotted in Fujairah on Dec 22 and reached Mukalla on Sunday. Shortly after its arrival, social media footage showed new armored vehicles moving through the city, which is located some 300 miles northeast of Aden.

Deepening Fissures in the Anti-Houthi Alliance

The STC has been aggressively seizing territory in the Hadramout governorate, displacing Saudi-backed National Shield Forces. While both Saudi Arabia and the UAE are members of OPEC and allies against Houthi rebels, they've increasingly backed competing factions on the ground. This strike follows a similar warning bombing last Friday, indicating that Riyadh's patience with Abu Dhabi's proxies has reached a breaking point.