Saudi Arabia has backed Yemen's presidential council call for the UAE to leave Yemen within 24 hours. This follows a Saudi-led coalition strike on a shipment it said contained weapons for UAE-backed separatists at Mukalla port. The Saudi foreign ministry accused the UAE of pushing the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to attack provinces Hadramawt and al-Mahra. Saudi Arabia warned it would take action against these "highly dangerous" moves. The UAE denied the shipment had weapons and regretted Saudi accusations. It said, "The allegations that it exerted pressure on, or directed, any Yemeni party to carry out military operations that would undermine the security of the sisterly kingdom of Saudi Arabia or target its borders" were false. The STC leaders said the UAE withdrawal order had no legal basis and vowed to stay a "main partner" in fighting the Iran-backed Houthi group controlling much of northwestern Yemen. On Monday, Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's eight-member presidential council, cancelled the defence pact with the UAE. He ordered UAE forces to leave to protect Yemen's unity, sovereignty, and stability. He also declared a 90-day state of emergency to fight the Houthis and internal military strife led by groups receiving UAE orders. The Saudi-led coalition said its strike targeted weapons and vehicles arriving on two UAE ships at Mukalla. Maj-Gen Turki al-Maliki called the shipments an "imminent threat" to peace. Local officials reported a warning at 04:00 local time and the strike hit an open area shortly after. Images showed burned military vehicles and building damage but no casualties. The UAE said it was surprised by the strike and that the vehicles were for its forces, not Yemeni parties. Coalition statements came without all members consulting. The strike follows calls by the Saudi-led coalition for the STC to withdraw from the southern provinces peacefully. The STC recently launched offensives to restore stability and fight Houthis, al-Qaeda, and IS groups. Yemen's war began in 2014 with Houthis driving out the government from Sanaa. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to restore the government. The conflict has killed over 150,000 people and caused a severe humanitarian crisis. The STC once allied with the government but now controls Aden and much of the south after turning against the government.