DOHA, December 31. /TASS/. The spokesperson for the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki denied Emirati Foreign Ministry’s statement that two ships with cargo from the United Arab Emirates have entered a port in the the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramaut in coordination with Riyadh.

"Two vessels entered the port of Al-Mukalla in violation of applicable procedures for such cases, and without the Yemeni government’s permission or the coalition’s authorization. They also switched off their tracking and identification devices before entering the territorial waters of Yemen," the spokesman wrote on the X social network.

"After the vessels arrived, it became clear that they were transporting over 80 vehicles and a number of transport containers with weapons and ammunition," al-Maliki added.

In his words, "after the arrival was confirmed and the ships were unloaded, high-ranking UAE officials were informed about the need to prevent the departure of this cargo from the al-Mukkala port, in order to prevent it from being shipped to the conflict zone."

According to the coalition’s information, the UAE, without notifying the Saudi Arabia, "has shipped the vehicles and containers to the Riyan airbase, where not more than ten UAE servicemen are deployed, apart from forces that are taking part in the escalation." After that, the coalition informed the UAE that such actions are unacceptable, and that the cargo must be taken back to the port.

"The vehicles were returned to the port, while the storage containers with weapons remained at the Riyan air base," al-Maliki said, adding that the coalition’s commanders have received information that the weapons "will be further shipped and distributed in several areas of the Hadramaut valley, which will exacerbate tensions." The weapons and the ammunition are still at the base, the spokesman said.

 

Escalation in east Yemen

 

On December 9, chairman of the Southern Transitional Council loyal to the UAE Aidarous al-Zoubaidi established control over the eastern provinces of Hadramaut and Al-Mahrah. He promised to create institutions of the future state in the south of Yemen at the next stage. On Thursday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry assessed the actions of the separatists an unjustified escalation and called on the United Nations to withdraw forces from these regions. On the evening of December 27, a government source told the SABA news agency that head of Yemen's Presidential Governing Council Rashad Mohammed al-Alimi had requested military assistance from the Saudi-led coalition.

On Tuesday night, the Arab coalition carried out an airstrike on the port of Mukalla in Hadramaut. According to al-Maliki, the operation was limited and was directed "against weapons and military equipment unloaded from two ships" that were traveling from the UAE. Later al-Alimi signed a decree canceling the joint defense agreement with the UAE, demanding the withdrawal of Emirati forces from the republic within 24 hours. He also imposed a state of emergency for 90 days. The Saudi Foreign Ministry accused the UAE of supporting the insurgency in eastern Yemen, calling it a threat to its national security. The UAE Foreign Ministry said it was halting the activities of its limited military force, which was performing anti-terrorism assignments in the republic.