Yemen declared a state of emergency after Saudi airstrikes on Mukalla targeted UAE-backed separatist forces. Tensions expose growing Saudi-UAE rivalries, escalating regional instability amid broader Red Sea and Houthi conflicts.

The Saudi-led coalition said its strike, at a port in southern Yemen, targeted weapons bound for a separatist group backed by the United Arab Emirates.

Calling the UAE's actions “highly dangerous”, Saudi Arabia said, “...the Kingdom will not hesitate to take all necessary steps and measures to confront and neutralise any such threat.”

The UAE-backed STC, which seeks a separate state in Yemen's south, has in recent weeks swept through swathes of the country.