Attack signals escalation in tensions between the kingdom and UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council

Saudi Arabia has bombed Yemen’s port city of Mukalla, targeting what it said was a weapons shipment from the United Arab Emirates meant for the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a Yemeni separatist force.

The UAE said it was “surprised” by the Saudi strike, and that the shipment did not contain any weapons and was meant for UAE forces, rather than any Yemeni groups. It called for de-escalation and said the developments in Yemen should be handled “with responsibility”.

The attack came amid tension between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, after the STC made significant territorial gains, stunning Riyadh.

Both countries back different groups that are loosely aligned against the Iran-backed Houthis, which control the most populous parts of Yemen, but still compete among themselves within the territories they control.