Saudi Arabia asks UAE to positively respond to Yemen’s request to withdraw forces within 24 hours

• It says threat to Saudi Arabia’s national security is ‘red line, and Kingdom will not hesitate to take necessary steps and measures to neutralize any such threat’

ISTANBUL

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday asked the UAE to respond positively to a request by Yemen to withdraw its forces from the Yemeni territory within 24 hours.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed its disappointment over the “actions taken by the brotherly United Arab Emirates, pressuring the Southern Transitional Council’s (STC) forces to conduct military operations on the southern borders of the Kingdom in the governorates of Hadramout and Al-Mahara.”

Riyadh, the statement said, considered it a “threat to the Kingdom’s national security and the security and stability” of Yemen.

The statement described the UAE’s actions as “highly dangerous” and “inconsistent” with the principles of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.

"The Kingdom stresses the importance that the brotherly United Arab Emirates accept the Republic of Yemen’s request for all its forces to leave the Republic of Yemen within twenty-four hours and halt any military or financial support to any party within Yemen," the ministry said.

It stresses that any threat to Saudi Arabia’s national security is a “red line, and the Kingdom will not hesitate to take all necessary steps and measures to confront and neutralize any such threat.”

The ministry affirmed the kingdom’s commitment to the security, stability, and sovereignty of Yemen, reiterating full support for the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

It stressed the importance of maintaining dialogue between all Yemeni parties to solve the conflict in the south.

Earlier on Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said it carried out a “limited” airstrike targeting two ships that arrived from the UAE at Yemen’s Mukalla Port, which it said were transporting large quantities of weapons and combat vehicles intended to support Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces in the south.

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi announced the cancellation of the joint defense agreement with the UAE and called for the withdrawal of all its forces from the country within 24 hours.

Tension has escalated in Yemen after the Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra early this month after clashes with government forces.

The STC repeatedly claims that successive governments have politically and economically marginalized southern regions and calls for their separation from the north – claims rejected by the Yemeni authorities, as they insist on preserving the country’s territorial unity.