UAE withdraws troops from Yemen after Saudi airstrike on shipment

Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The United Arab Emirates announced Tuesday it's ending its military presence in Yemen after its close ally, Saudi Arabia, bombed separatists backed by the UAE.

Saudi Arabia said it carried out a "limited" airstrike on the eastern port city of Mukalla, targeting what it believed to be an arms shipment from the UAE to the Southern Transitional Council, The New York Times reported. Saudi Arabia said the two ships were "highly dangerous" and it threatened national security.

"Given the danger and escalation posed by these weapons, which threaten security and stability, the coalition air forces conducted a limited military operation this morning targeting the equipment," Saudi Brig. Gen. Turk al-Malki said.

Saudi Arabia called on UAE forces to withdraw from Yemen within 24 hours, CNN reported.

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"The kingdom stresses that any threat to its national security is a red line, and the kingdom will not hesitate to take all necessary steps and measures to confront and neutralize any such threat," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.

Rashad al-Olimi, head of Yemen's Presidential Council, also accused the UAE of pushing the separatist STC to "rebel against the state authority" and escalate violence in Yemen.

The UAE's foreign ministry denied that the shipment included weapons, saying it carried only vehicles for Emirati forces deployed to Yemen. It also denied allegations it was encouraging violence by the STC.

The UAE Ministry of Defense, though, announced it would leave Yemen.

"In light of recent developments and their potential implications for the safety and effectiveness of counterterrorism missions, the Ministry of Defense announces the termination of the remaining counterterrorism personnel in Yemen of its own volition, in a manner that ensures the safety of its personnel and in coordination with the concerned partners," the ministry said in a statement on Facebook.

Saudi Arabia has provided support to the internationally recognized government of Yemen since the start of its civil war in 2014. Meanwhile, the UAE has supported the STC, which has seized territory in recent weeks.

Previously, the two Arab nations formed a coalition to support the Yemeni government in its fight against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, which seized the capital of Sanaa in 2014. The Houthis now control much of northern Yemen, while Saudi Arabia and the UAE now back rival factions in the south.

The STC seeks an independent southern Yemen.

The separatist STC has condemned Saudi Arabia's push for the UAE to leave Yemen, while the Yemeni government has declared a state of emergency, closing land, sea and air entry points for 72 hours.

Farea al-Muslimi, an expert on Yemen at the London think tank Chatham House, told The Times that Tuesday's airstrikes mark a dramatic increase in tension between Saudi Arabia and UAE, two Arab powers traditionally seen as allies. He described the situation as "entering a particularly volatile and dangerous phase."

"After years of indirect competition through local proxies, the dispute now appears to be moving toward a more direct confrontation," he said.

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