Riyadh Draws 24-Hour Red Line After Mukalla Airstrike

Saudi Arabia drew its strongest line yet on Tuesday, declaring that its national security is a red line, hours after a Saudi-led coalition carried out an airstrike on Yemen’s southern port of Mukalla and set a 24-hour deadline for UAE forces to leave Yemen territory.

Strike

 Riyadh said the coalition action was “limited” and targeted two ships that arrived from the United Arab Emirates at Mukalla Port, which it said were transporting large quantities of weapons and combat vehicles intended to support UAE backed Southern Transitional Council forces in the south. The strike came amid growing instability in Yemen’s eastern governorates and mounting pressure on the internationally recognised government.

Warning

 In an official statement, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry urged Abu Dhabi to respond positively to a request from Yemen to withdraw its forces within twenty-four hours. The ministry expressed disappointment over what it described as actions taken by the UAE to pressure STC forces into conducting military operations along the Kingdom’s southern borders in Hadramout and Al-Mahra.

 Riyadh described these actions as a direct threat to its national security and to Yemen’s security and stability, calling them highly dangerous and inconsistent with the principles of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.

Deadline

The ministry stressed that any threat to Saudi Arabia’s national security constitutes a red line, affirming that the Kingdom would not hesitate to take all necessary steps and measures to confront and neutralise such threats. It also reiterated full support for Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the importance of dialogue among Yemeni parties to resolve the conflict in the south. Earlier, Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi announced the cancellation of the joint defence agreement with the UAE and called for the withdrawal of all Emirati forces within the same 24-hour deadline.