Emirati Cargo Planes, UAE Soldiers, Begin Departure From Yemen
Emirati military cargo planes lifted off from Yemen’s southeastern Hadramout province on Wednesday, signaling what the internationally recognized Yemeni government described as the start of a full United Arab Emirates military withdrawal amid a sharp deterioration in relations within the Saudi-led coalition.
According to a government statement broadcast on Yemen TV, “Four military cargo planes departed from Al Rayyan Airport in the southeastern province of Hadramut, carrying hundreds of UAE soldiers along with military equipment.” The announcement followed an order issued a day earlier by Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) demanding that all Emirati forces leave the country within 24 hours.
The withdrawal comes after a sudden escalation on Tuesday, when Saudi-led coalition aircraft struck targets in the port city of Mukalla. The Saudi Press Agency said the airstrikes hit weapons and combat vehicles that had been unloaded at the port, accusing the UAE of supporting an advance by the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a pro-secession force active in southern and eastern Yemen.
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Tensions on the ground remained high even as Emirati aircraft departed. Local residents reported Saudi warplanes flying over parts of Hadramut, while STC-aligned forces maintained heavy deployments at strategic locations across the province. Reports indicated that the STC had declined to pull back its units, as Saudi-backed government troops were said to be positioning nearby, raising concerns of a broader confrontation.
Later Tuesday, PLC Chairman Rashad al-Alimi moved to formally cancel a joint defense agreement with Abu Dhabi, marking a dramatic break between two regional allies that had previously coordinated closely in Yemen. The council framed the decision as a response to what it described as destabilizing actions linked to the STC’s recent seizure of territory in Hadramout and Al-Mahrah.
The UAE, for its part, rejected claims that it was directing or backing the latest developments on the ground. Emirati officials said security considerations, not political pressure, drove the decision to withdraw remaining forces.
Yemen’s war began in 2014 after Houthi forces took control of Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led intervention the following year. The STC, formed in 2017, has pushed for self-rule in the south and formally joined the Presidential Leadership Council in 2022, though its long-standing ambitions have continued to strain relations within the anti-Houthi camp.
