“24 hours”: Saudi Arabia calls for UAE to withdraw forces from Yemen

• Ultimatum Issued: Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government have demanded the full withdrawal of Emirati forces and said they should stop their support for separatists within 24 hours.
• Security Pact Severed: Yemen has declared a 90-day state of emergency and cancelled its mutual defense agreement with the UAE following the Southern Transitional Council’s seizure of strategic border provinces.

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday called the UAE's support for a separatist offensive in Yemen a threat to the kingdom and regional security, hours after a Riyadh-led coalition said it launched strikes against the Emirati-backed forces.

The UAE's actions in Yemen are "considered a threat to the Kingdom's national security, and the security and stability of the Republic of Yemen and the region," read a statement by the foreign ministry published online.

"The steps taken by the UAE are considered highly dangerous, inconsistent with the principles upon which the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen was established, and do not serve the coalition's purpose of achieving security and stability for Yemen," it added.

Read more: UAE denies Saudi accusation of fuelling Yemen conflict

It also called on the UAE to withdraw its forces from Yemen and cease providing support to any groups in the country within 24 hours, backing a similar call from the Yemeni government in Aden.

"The Kingdom stresses the importance that the brotherly United Arab Emirates accept the Republic of Yemen's request for all its forces to leave the Republic of Yemen within twenty four hours, and halt any military or financial support to any party within Yemen," the foreign ministry said in a statement published online.

On Tuesday, the head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council declared a state of emergency and cancelled a long-standing security agreement with the United Arab Emirates after separatists they say are backed by the UAE seized control of vast swaths of Yemeni territory.

The council, which represents Yemen’s internationally recognized government, issued a 24-hour ultimatum for "Emirati forces and their personnel" to exit the country.

Defense Pact Nullified

Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, announced in a formal statement the decision to "cancel the mutual defense agreement with the United Arab Emirates."

In a separate decree, al-Alimi declared a 90-day state of emergency, which remains subject to extension. He further imposed a 72-hour "air, sea, and land blockade on all ports and border crossings" across the country.

Rapid Separatist Advances

The diplomatic break follows a lightning offensive earlier this month by the Southern Transitional Council (STC). STC forces successfully seized large areas of the Hadramout and Al-Mahra governorates.

The territorial shifts are particularly significant as both provinces border Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman, marking a major escalation in the regional struggle for control over Yemen’s strategic frontier.