SANAA: The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Rashad al-Alimi, has announced the cancellation of the joint defense agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According to Arab media reports, al-Alimi stated that all UAE forces present in Yemen must depart the country within 24 hours.
He further declared that a complete air, land, and sea blockade would be imposed on all Yemeni ports and border crossings for 72 hours.
Reports indicate that these orders from the Presidential Leadership Council come in the wake of a limited airstrike conducted by the Saudi-led military coalition, which targeted Mukalla port.
The Saudi coalition described the operation as aimed at foreign military assistance provided to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), a southern separatist group.
In a statement, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry described the actions taken by the fraternal UAE as highly dangerous, warning that they could seriously threaten regional stability.
Tensions between Yemen’s Saudi-backed internationally recognized government and the UAE have escalated dramatically following the arrival of unauthorized weapons shipments from the UAE to the UAE-supported Southern Transitional Council (STC), a southern separatist group.
On December 30, 2025, the Saudi-led coalition conducted a limited airstrike on Mukalla port, targeting offloaded arms and vehicles from two vessels that had departed from the UAE’s Fujairah port.
Saudi officials described the UAE’s actions as highly dangerous and a threat to regional stability and its own national security.
In response, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council head, Rashad al-Alimi, cancelled the joint defense agreement with the UAE, ordered all Emirati forces to withdraw from Yemen within 24 hours, imposed a 72-hour full blockade on ports and crossings, and declared a 90-day nationwide state of emergency.
The STC rejected these demands and affirmed its partnership with the UAE.
This rift highlights deepening divisions within the anti-Houthi coalition, with Saudi Arabia prioritizing Yemen’s unity and the UAE backing southern separatism, raising fears of renewed conflict amid the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.
