The European Union warned Wednesday that recent developments in Yemen could undermine the Gulf region's stability, calling for de-escalation.
"The recent developments in the Yemeni governorates Hadramout and Al-Mahra threaten to bring new risks to the Gulf region," an EU spokesperson said in a statement.
The bloc also called for de-escalation and avoiding steps that "further threaten" the stability of Yemen and the region.
The EU reiterates its strong commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen, as well as its support for the Presidential Leadership Council and the government of Yemen, it said.
The statement came a day after tensions flared between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over Yemen following a "limited" airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition targeting two ships at the port of Mukalla that it said had come from the UAE.
The two vessels "entered Mukalla port in violation of applicable procedures in such cases, without entry authorization from the Yemeni government or the coalition leadership," coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said on the US social media company X's platform.
He added that the ships "switched off their tracking and identification systems before entering Yemeni territorial waters."
Abu Dhabi denied that the two vessels were carrying weapons for Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC), saying the vehicles unloaded were not intended for any Yemeni party but were shipped for use by UAE forces operating in Yemen.
The situation escalated in southern Yemen early this month after the STC, the country's main separatist group, took control of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra after clashes with government forces.
It deteriorated further early Tuesday, with Saudi Arabia calling the UAE's actions "a threat to its national security."
In response, Rashad al-Alimi, the chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, cancelled a joint defense pact with the UAE and gave it a 24-hour deadline to withdraw its forces from the country.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry also accused the UAE of pushing STC forces to carry out military operations along the kingdom's southern border in Hadramout and Mahra. The UAE rejected the allegation and stressed its commitment to Saudi Arabia's security.
The Emirati Defense Ministry later announced that it had completed its counterterrorism mission in Yemen and ended its military presence following a review of recent events, confirming its formal exit from the conflict after having reduced its troops in 2019 as part of the Saudi-led coalition.
Yemeni and Arab media outlets reported early Wednesday that the STC had withdrawn forces from parts of Hadramout. The STC denied the reports.
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.
Hadramout and Mahra together make up nearly half of Yemen's land area.
