On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen’s port city of Mukalla, targeting a shipment of weapons it said were meant for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatists. The attack marks a sharp rise in tensions between Riyadh and the STC, which opposes the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces in Yemen's long war. The Saudi Press Agency stated the strike hit ships that came from Fujairah, a UAE port, and whose crews had turned off tracking devices. Saudi Arabia called the weapons "an imminent threat" and attacked them in a "limited airstrike" overnight, aiming to avoid collateral damage. The UAE did not immediately respond. The STC’s satellite news channel acknowledged the strikes but gave no details. Analysts suspect one targeted ship was the Greenland, a cargo vessel flagged in St Kitts, which was tracked moving from Fujairah on December 22 and arriving in Mukalla on Sunday. Videos showed armored vehicles moving through Mukalla after the ships’ arrival. Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen expert, said, "I expect a calibrated escalation from both sides. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council is likely to respond by consolidating control." Saudi state television aired footage showing armored vehicles advancing through Mukalla, reinforcing claims of new arms arrivals. Mukalla is in Yemen’s Hadramout governorate, recently seized by the STC. It lies 480km northeast of Aden, the anti-Houthi stronghold. This strike follows Saudi air attacks on the STC last Friday, seen as warnings to stop the STC’s advance in Hadramout and Mahra. The growing push by the STC has stirred tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, despite their close ties and shared OPEC membership. The conflict reflects deeper rifts, as the STC and its supporters promote South Yemen’s independence, fueling demonstrations calling for secession from Yemen.