Saudi Arabia has backed a demand from Yemen's presidential council for the United Arab Emirates to withdraw within 24 hours, after a Saudi-led coalition bombed what it said was a weapons shipment for UAE-backed separatists at the port of Mukalla.
The Saudi foreign ministry accused the UAE of pressuring the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which seeks independence for southern Yemen, to launch recent offensives in the eastern provinces of Hadramawt and al-Mahra.
The kingdom warned that it would take measures to address what it considered highly dangerous actions.
The UAE's foreign ministry denied that the shipment contained weapons and expressed deep regret at the Saudi statement, strongly condemning the allegations of exerting pressure on any Yemeni party.
The STC's leaders stated that the ultimatum for the UAE's forces to withdraw lacked legal basis, reaffirming their stance as a main partner in the battle against the Iran-backed Houthi movement.
Earlier, the head of the eight-member presidential council, which includes STC representatives, canceled a joint defense pact with the UAE and ordered its forces to leave for safeguarding the security of all citizens.
Rashad al-Alimi declared a state of emergency for 90 days to confront the Houthis and internal strife allegedly led by military elements receiving orders from the UAE.
Alimi's announcement followed a limited airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition on military vehicles for the STC in Mukalla, which they described as an imminent threat. Photos showed damage to military vehicles, but no casualties were reported.
The UAE expressed surprise at the strike and affirmed that the shipment was not meant for any Yemeni force but for Emirati forces operating in Yemen.
The complexity of the conflict is underscored by the STC's recent offensives in Hadramawt and al-Mahra, amid rising tensions and an ongoing civil war that has resulted in over 150,000 deaths and a humanitarian crisis following the Houthis' ousting of the internationally recognized government in 2014.
