Overview
- Saudi-led forces conducted a limited strike on Mukalla targeting what they called a UAE-linked shipment, with Saudi media reporting no casualties as Yemeni TV showed smoke and burned vehicles.
- Yemen’s presidential council chief Rashad al-Alimi canceled a defense pact with the UAE, imposed a 72-hour no-fly and port/land blockade, and backed a 24-hour deadline for Emirati forces to depart.
- Saudi Arabia declared threats to its national security a red line and warned it would take all necessary measures to counter them.
- The UAE rejected claims the shipment carried weapons for separatists, saying the cargo was for its own forces, and announced it would withdraw its remaining counterterrorism personnel from Yemen.
- The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council has seized territory including parts of Hadramout and refused to pull back, prompting U.S. calls for restraint and heightening concerns over regional stability.