The United Arab Emirates announced it will withdraw its remaining troops from Yemen after Yemen's Presidential Council canceled their agreement, while Saudi Arabia bombed a port targeting a UAE-backed weapons convoy.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, 30 Dec 2025 GMT+7, the UAE declared it would pull out all remaining forces from Yemen following Saudi Arabia's acceptance of Yemen's Presidential Council's demand to withdraw UAE forces within 24 hours.
The UAE's announcement came after a Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes against what Saudi Arabia claimed was a weapons convoy destined for separatist forces supported by the UAE in Mukalla, a southern Yemeni port city.
The UAE denied that the convoy contained weapons and expressed "deep regret" over Saudi Arabia's accusations.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been allies in the decade-long war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, but fighting among the groups they each support has deepened divisions between the two countries.
Saudi Arabia backs Yemen's internationally recognized government, while the UAE supports the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist group seeking independence for southern Yemen.
Saudi Arabia accused the UAE of pressuring separatist forces to attack Saudi-backed government troops in the eastern provinces of Hadramawt and al-Mahra, warning it would take measures to confront such "highly dangerous" actions.
The UAE Ministry of Defense explained that the decision to withdraw forces was made "considering the recent situation and its potential impact on the security and effectiveness of the counter-terrorism mission," without mentioning the allied coalition's airstrike or Saudi warnings.
The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned allegations that it exerted influence or ordered any party in Yemen to conduct military operations undermining Saudi Arabia's security or targeting border areas.
Earlier, Yemen's eight-member Presidential Council, including STC representatives, announced the cancellation of the joint defense agreement with the UAE and ordered UAE forces to leave within 24 hours "for the benefit of the security of all citizens," reaffirming their commitment to Yemen's unity, sovereignty, stability, and territorial integrity.
Yemen's President Rashad al-Alimi declared a 90-day state of emergency, citing the necessity to confront the Houthis and what he described as "an internal conflict led by rebel military groups receiving orders from the United Arab Emirates."
The STC leadership said the ultimatum for UAE troop withdrawal was a unilateral decision lacking legal basis and affirmed that the UAE would remain a "key ally" in the fight against the Houthi rebels.
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Source:bbc