Saudi Airstrikes Hit Arms Shipment at Yemen’s Mukalla Port, Escalating Gulf Rift

The overnight operation hit two ships carrying weapons and combat vehicles intended for the Southern Transitional Council (STC), according to the Saudi state news agency SPA. Riyadh said the strike was conducted at night to minimise collateral damage and described the UAE-backed activity as a threat to regional security.

The attack has sharply escalated tensions between the two Gulf allies, which back rival factions in Yemen’s civil war. Saudi Arabia supports the internationally recognised Yemeni government, while the UAE backs the STC, which is seeking independence for the former state of South Yemen.

In response, Yemen’s government declared a state of emergency, cancelled a security pact with Abu Dhabi and issued a 24-hour deadline for Emirati forces to leave the country. Saudi-led coalition officials warned they would support government forces in any confrontation with separatists.

The strikes followed rapid STC advances in oil-rich Hadhramaut and neighbouring areas. The United States urged restraint, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for diplomacy to prevent further escalation.

Yemen’s conflict, which pits the government and its allies against the Iran-backed Houthis, has fractured alliances formed in 2015, raising fears of a broader regional confrontation.

Kursiv Uzbelistan also reports that documents released to the National Archives reveal Blair’s response to internal briefings in 2005 concerning the death of Baha Mousa, who died after being beaten by British troops while in custody in Basra in 2003.