Saudi Arabia today bombed the city of Mukalla in Yemen over, as authorities claim, a shipment of weapons for separatists in that country, which was allegedly delivered from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Yemeni units fighting against Houthi insurgents declared a state of emergency after Riyadh’s attack, banning access to and crossing of all border crossings for 72 hours, as well as entry to airports and ports, except in cases approved by Saudi Arabia.
In a military statement, it was said that the strikes on the port city of Mukalla followed the arrival of ships from Fujairah, a port city on the eastern coast of the UAE.
“The crew had disabled tracking devices on the ships and unloaded a large quantity of weapons and combat vehicles in support of the forces of the Southern Transitional Council,” the statement said, adding that the air force “carried out a limited strike this morning targeting weapons and military vehicles from two ships in Mukalla.”
The Saudi military said the attack was carried out overnight to ensure that “there was no collateral damage.”
Mukalla is located in Yemen’s Hadramaut governorate, which separatists have seized over the past few days.
The city is located about 480 kilometers northeast of Aden, the seat of opponents of the Houthis, after those insurgents expelled them from the capital Sanaa in 2014.
MORE TOPICS:
Source: N1, Foto: EPA-EFE/YAHYA ARHAB