The escalation that emerged overnight in southern Yemen did not originate on the battlefield but in a relatively quiet logistical operation. It began with the arrival of two ships carrying weapons and military vehicles from the United Arab Emirates, docking at the port of Mukalla in Hadramawt. The cargo was unloaded without coordination with the Saudi-led coalition or with Yemen’s internationally recognised authorities. Early this morning, Saudi aircraft struck it at or near the port. 

Mukalla marks a shift from managed rivalry to overt confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the UAE inside Yemen

Saudi Arabia described the strikes as action against unauthorised external military support entering Yemen. It stated that the operation had been conducted at the request of the chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi. No casualties were officially reported. 

While many beyond the region have become familiar with the Houthis through their attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, the developments in southern Yemen belong to a different arena of the war. The movement that controls Sana’a and much of the north was not reported to be involved in the events around Mukalla. The arrival of arms shipments, the subsequent Saudi airstrikes, and the diplomatic fallout that followed have unfolded entirely within the anti-Houthi camp. What is taking shape in Hadramawt is an internal struggle over authority, alignment, and control in........

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