Khaberni - Saudi Arabia expressed in a statement from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday its "regret" for what it called "pressure" exerted by the UAE on the forces of the Southern Transitional Council, pushing them to carry out military operations on the borders of the southern kingdom in the provinces of Hadramaut and Al Mahrah in Yemen. The kingdom also called on the UAE to respond to Yemen's request to withdraw its military forces within 24 hours, and to stop any military or financial support to any party inside Yemen.
The statement released by the Saudi Press Agency "SPA" said: "Following the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 5/7/1447 Hijri, corresponding to 25/12/2025 Gregorian, regarding the sincere efforts made by the Kingdom, working with the brotherly United Arab Emirates, to end and address the escalatory steps taken by the Southern Transitional Council in the provinces of Hadramaut and Al Mahrah, and referring to the statement of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, and the statement issued by the leadership of the Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen regarding the movement of ships loaded with weapons and heavy vehicles from Fujairah port to Al Mukalla port, without obtaining official permits from the leadership of the joint forces of the coalition.".
And the text of the Saudi Foreign Ministry's statement added: "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its regret for the pressure exerted by the brotherly United Arab Emirates on the forces of the Southern Transitional Council to push its forces to carry out military operations on the borders of the southern kingdom in the provinces of Hadramaut and Al Mahrah, which pose a threat to the national security of the Kingdom, as well as security and stability in the Yemeni Republic and the region, and indicates that the steps taken by the United Arab Emirates were described as (extremely dangerous), and do not align with the foundations on which the alliance to support legitimacy in Yemen was established, nor do they serve its efforts in securing and stabilizing Yemen."
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs added: "The Kingdom confirms in this context that any violation or threat to its national security is a (red line) that the Kingdom will not hesitate to take all necessary steps and procedures to confront and neutralize"."
The Saudi Foreign Ministry continued in its statement, saying: "The Kingdom also reaffirms its commitment to the security, stability, and sovereignty of Yemen, its full support for His Excellency the President of the Presidential Leadership Council and his government, and renews in this context, its confirmation that the Southern issue is a just cause, with its historical and social dimensions, and that the only way to address it is through dialogue at the negotiation table as part of a comprehensive political solution in Yemen, in which all Yemeni spectrums will participate, including the Southern Transitional Council."
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed: "The Kingdom emphasizes the importance of the brotherly United Arab Emirates responding to the request of the Republic of Yemen to withdraw its military forces from the Yemeni Republic within twenty-four hours, and to stop any military or financial support for any party inside Yemen, and the Kingdom hopes in this context that wisdom will prevail, prioritizing principles of brotherhood, good neighborliness, and the close relations that unite the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the interest of brotherly Yemen, and that the United Arab Emirates will take the hoped-for steps to preserve the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries, which the Kingdom is keen to enhance, and joint work towards everything that would enhance the prosperity and stability of the region."
Rashad Al-Alimi, President of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, had issued shortly before, on Tuesday, a decision to cancel the joint defense agreement with the United Arab Emirates, and to request all its forces and personnel to leave the country within 24 hours.
Al-Alimi also issued a decision to declare a state of emergency throughout the territory of the Republic for 90 days, extendable, and imposed an air, sea, and land blockade for 72 hours on all ports and harbors.
This was announced after the "Support Legitimacy" coalition in Yemen led by Saudi Arabia on Tuesday declared that it "carried out a limited military operation targeting weapons and combat vehicles unloaded from two ships at Al Mukalla" port in Yemen.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the official spokesperson for the coalition forces, Major General Turki Al-Malki, said in a statement: "On Saturday and Sunday, two ships coming from Fujairah port to Al Mukalla port entered without obtaining official permits from the leadership of the joint forces of the coalition, where the crew of the ships disabled the tracking systems of the ships, and unloaded a large quantity of weapons and combat vehicles to support the forces of the Southern Transitional Council in the eastern provinces of Yemen Hadramaut, Al Mahrah aiming to fuel conflict; which constitutes an explicit violation of the imposition of calm and reaching a peaceful solution, as well as a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 2216 of 2015."
And Al-Malki added: "Based on the request of the President of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council for the coalition forces to take all necessary military measures to protect civilians in the provinces of Hadramaut and Al Mahrah, and due to the danger and escalation posed by these weapons which threaten security and stability, the coalition air forces this morning carried out a limited military operation targeting weapons and combat vehicles unloaded from the shi...
