Dec 30 (Reuters) - The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen launched a limited air strike targeting what it called foreign military support at Mukalla port, days after it warned the main southern separatist group against making military moves in the eastern province of Hadramout.
An offensive by Yemen's southern separatists earlier this month pitted the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) against Saudi-supported Yemeni government troops, bringing the two nations closer than they have ever been to an all-out conflict. Yemen has been mired in a civil war since 2014.
A coalition spokesperson said two ships arriving from the UAE port of Fujairah entered Mukalla port on Saturday and Sunday without authorisation from the coalition, disabled their tracking systems and unloaded large quantities of weapons and combat vehicles "to support the (STC)."
The coalition said there were no casualties or collateral damage from the strike at Mukalla port, Saudi state media reported.
The UAE's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Acting on a request from the head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, to protect civilians in Hadramout and al-Mahra, coalition air forces carried out a limited military operation early on Tuesday targeting the unloaded weapons and vehicles, Saudi state media said citing Turki al-Malki, the coalition spokesperson.
Two sources told Reuters that the strike targeted the dock where the cargo of the two ships was unloaded.
The STC separatists were initially part of the Saudi-led alliance that intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Houthis. But they subsequently decided to seek self-rule in the south.
Since 2022, they have been part of an alliance that controls southern areas outside Houthi control under a Saudi-backed power-sharing initiative.
At present, UAE-backed forces control large swathes of land in the south including the strategically important Hadramout province.
Hadramout is on the border with Saudi Arabia and they have cultural and historical ties; many prominent Saudis trace their origins to the area.
The Houthis control the northern part of the country, including the capital Sanaa, after forcing the Saudi-backed government to flee south.
"We will continue to prevent any military support from any country to any Yemeni faction without coordination with the legitimate government," the coalition added.
(Reporting by Yomna Ehab, Hatem Maher and Mohammed Ghobari; writing by Maha El Dahan; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Thomas Derpinghaus)
