Saudi Arabia launched strikes on December 30 on military vehicles in Mukalla, Yemen, that it said the United Arab Emirates had illegally shipped there to support the separatist Southern Transitional Council in eastern Yemen - a claim the UAE denied.

It comes after Saudi Arabia called on STC forces to withdraw from Hadramout, Mahra provinces in eastern Yemen - Anadolu Ajansı

Saudi Arabia has bombed Yemen’s port city of Mukalla, targeting a shipment of weapons from the United Arab Emirates for separatist forces

The confrontation threatened to open a new front in Yemen’s decadelong war, with forces allied against the Iranian-backed Houthis possibly turning their sights on each other in the Arab world’s poorest nation long stalked by famine and disease.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday denied accusations of exerting pressure on Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) in a way that could risk the security of neighboring Saudi Arabia.

The head of Yemen's presidential council called on Tuesday for all United Arab Emirates forces to leave the country within 24 hours, shortly after an air strike by the Saudi-led coalition at the southern port of Mukalla.

Cautious calm and anticipation prevail in southern Yemen, as key parties await an announcement by the Southern Transitional Council on the fate of its forces in Hadramawt and Al-Mahra, amid the

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council chief Rashad Al Alimi said the government had formally asked the Saudi-led coalition to take “immediate measures” to counter recent military moves by the Southern Transitional Council.