Saudi-led coalition targets port facilities in Yemen

The Saudi Arabia–led Arab coalition has carried out airstrikes on cargo at the port of Al-Mukalla in Yemen’s eastern Hadramaut province, according to a coalition statement.

The strikes reportedly targeted shipments containing weapons and military equipment that had been unloaded from two vessels arriving from the United Arab Emirates, Caliber.Az reports via Saudi Press Agency. 

Ahead of the operation, residents were urged to leave Al-Mukalla as a precaution. The airstrikes took place amid heightened tensions following the takeover of several eastern provinces by the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

The situation in Yemen sharply deteriorated in December after the STC, which advocates for the restoration of an independent South Yemen, launched a large-scale offensive. By the end of the month, the escalation had pushed the country close to institutional collapse and raised fears of a renewed phase of civil war.

On December 26, the Saudi Air Force conducted warning strikes against STC positions in the Nahb Valley in Hadramaut. Saudi authorities subsequently demanded that STC forces withdraw immediately from Hadramaut and Al-Mahrah provinces and transfer control of their bases to Yemen’s internationally recognised government forces.

The coalition warned that any further actions by the separatists would be met with force.

By Sabina Mammadli