ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's internationally recognized government said Wednesday the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has begun withdrawing its remaining forces from the country amid escalating tensions in the war-torn Arab nation.
In a statement carried by the official Yemen TV, the government said "four military cargo planes departed from Al Rayyan Airport in the southeastern province of Hadramout, carrying hundreds of UAE soldiers along with military equipment."
Local residents saw Saudi warplanes hovering over several areas in Hadramout in recent hours. Yet forces loyal to Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) reportedly refused to withdraw from the province and kept heavy deployment at key sites, amid concerns over a possible ground operation by Saudi-backed Yemeni government troops reportedly gathering near Hadramout.
Tensions between the regional allies escalated sharply on Tuesday when Saudi-led coalition forces carried out airstrikes on the southern port city of Mukalla. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the strikes targeted weapons and combat vehicles allegedly unloaded at the port.
The coalition accused the UAE of backing an offensive launched by the pro-secession STC, which recently seized large areas in the provinces of Hadramout and Al-Mahrah.
Later on Tuesday, Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman Rashad al-Alimi cancelled a joint defense agreement with the UAE, and ordered all Emirati military forces to withdraw from Yemen within 24 hours.
The UAE said later it would withdraw its remaining forces from Yemen due to safety concerns, rejecting allegations about its role in the ongoing developments there.
Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since 2014, when Houthi forces seized the capital, Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention in 2015 in support of the government. Formed in 2017, the STC advocates for self-rule in southern Yemen, despite joining the PLC in 2022. ■
