Arab Coalition Calls for Immediate Evacuation of a Port in Eastern Yemen

TEHRAN (Defapress) - The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted the Arab Coalition as saying: Civilians are asked to immediately evacuate the port of Mukalla in Hadhramaut province until further notice.

According to this report, the Arab Coalition announced: The aim of the immediate evacuation of the port of Mukalla is to protect civilians from a military operation.

This action by the Arab Coalition comes a few days after Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman also warned the mercenaries affiliated with the Emirates [the Southern Transitional Council], saying: It is time for the Southern Transitional Council to respond to mediation efforts and listen to the voice of reason and wisdom.

He added: The Southern Transitional Council must end its escalation and withdraw its elements from camps in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahrah provinces.

Bin Salman stressed that the issue of southern Yemen will be part of any comprehensive political solution and will not be forgotten or marginalized.

The Saudi military official stated: The issue of the south must be resolved through consensus, not through ill-considered measures that only serve the common enemy.

These statements by the Saudi Defense Minister came after the Southern Transitional Council responded negatively to Riyadh’s recent request to withdraw its elements from Al-Mahrah and Hadhramaut, and Yemeni sources reported that Saudi Arabia had targeted the council’s positions with airstrikes.

Amid the escalating clashes between the mercenaries of the aggressive coalition in Yemen, Turki Al-Maliki, the spokesman for the coalition, this morning, emphasizing Saudi Arabia’s continued support for the Aden-based mercenary government, threatened the UAE-affiliated Southern Transitional Council and announced that we will deal seriously with any military movement that violates efforts to reduce tension.

The spokesman for the aggressive coalition emphasized that these measures are in line with our continued efforts to reduce tension and withdraw elements of the Southern Transitional Council from Hadhramaut and Al-Mahrah.

Saudi coalition attack on eastern Yemen

Saudi Arabia's state news agency SPA reported a limited airstrike on the port of Mukalla in eastern Yemen, citing the Arab coalition's joint forces command.

The command announced that foreign military support in the port was targeted in the attack.

SPA also reported, citing the Arab coalition, that two ships that arrived from the UAE's Fujairah port to Mukalla port without official permission on Saturday and Sunday were monitored.

The Arab coalition announced that these ships had deactivated their tracking systems and unloaded weapons in support of the Southern Transitional Council forces to fuel the fighting.

The Arab coalition command also said in this regard: "We will continue to reduce tensions and establish calm in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahrah."

The Arab coalition command said: "Preventing any military support from any country to any Yemeni group without coordination with the legitimate [resigned] government and the coalition will continue."

The coalition claimed that the military operation in Mukalla was in accordance with international humanitarian law and in a way that prevented collateral damage.

The Arab coalition added in the end: No human casualties or collateral damage were reported following the operation in Mukalla port.

It should be noted that for weeks, clashes between Emirati and Saudi mercenaries in the eastern and southern regions of Yemen have intensified. These clashes were so intense that the United States has also expressed concern about the deepening of the rift between these mercenaries.

The provinces of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahrah in eastern Yemen have become one of the main centers of competition between Emirati and Saudi mercenaries. The forces of the so-called Southern Transitional Council, supported by the UAE, have gained control of oil-rich areas, and this advance has been met with a Saudi response, with Saudi Arabia asking the Southern Transitional Council to withdraw its forces from Hadhramaut and Al-Mahrah and reduce tensions.

The Southern Transitional Council of Yemen was formed in 2017 with the direct support of the United Arab Emirates and, from the very beginning, has had deep differences with the self-proclaimed Yemeni government supported by Saudi Arabia; differences that have repeatedly led to armed clashes in Aden and other southern regions in recent years.