Yemen on Tuesday announced the cancellation of the joint defense agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and called for the withdrawal of all Emirati forces within 24 hours, following the UAE's arms shipment to the Southern Transitional Council forces in the south.
"All Emirati forces must withdraw from all Yemeni territory within 24 hours," Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi said in a televised speech.
A state of emergency has been declared across the country, effective from today for a period of 90 days, along with a 72-hour air and land ban on all ports and border crossings, al-Alimi said.
Earlier, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen on Tuesday launched a "limited" airstrike targeting two ships at the Mukalla port in Yemen.
In remarks reported by the Saudi Press Agency, Coalition Forces spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said two vessels arriving from the UAE port of Fujairah entered the port of Mukalla on Dec. 27-28 without securing official authorization from the coalition's Joint Forces Command.
