Saudi-led coalition airstrike hits facilities near Mukalla Port in Yemen’s Hadramout
Shafaq News– Aden/ Hadramout
A Saudi-led coalition airstrike targeted facilities near Mukalla Port in Yemen’s eastern Hadramout province on December 30, 2025, according to local sources who spoke to Shafaq News, amid a wider security and political escalation in the country.
The sources said the strike hit key facilities and fuel storage tanks in the port’s vicinity. Video footage circulating on social media showed fires near sensitive locations inside the port area. The coalition has not issued an official statement clarifying the targets or the extent of the damage.
Southern activists, speaking to Shafaq News on condition of anonymity, warned that the strike could affect Hadramout’s economic interests, given Mukalla Port’s role in trade and fuel supplies for the province and surrounding areas.
In a related political development, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council told Shafaq News that no collective decision had been taken to demand the withdrawal of Emirati forces from Yemen, stressing that “sovereign decisions within the Council are made only by consensus.”
The remarks came after Council Chairman Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi declared a nationwide state of emergency for 90 days, renewable, and imposed a temporary ban on air, land, and sea movement at several crossings.
The security escalation coincided with protests and gatherings in several southern cities, including Mukalla and Aden, where demonstrators called for the declaration of an independent southern state, amid deepening political divisions among local factions and stalled comprehensive negotiations.
Hadramout: Economic Weight and Arena of Conflict
Hadramout is one of Yemen’s most economically and geographically sensitive provinces, hosting productive oil sectors and strategic ports along the Arabian Sea.
On the ground, southern forces revealed sites they said were being used for illegal oil refining in areas previously under the control of the First Military Region. Security sources told Shafaq News that these activities operate outside official frameworks and constitute a drain on public wealth.
The head of the Public Funds Appeals Prosecution in Hadramout, Judge Abdullah Al-Yazidi, affirmed to our agency that a specialized committee had begun field investigations at several oil-related sites, following directives from the public prosecutor, to examine corruption allegations and hold those involved accountable under the law.
Security sources also reported a rise in armed attacks targeting southern security forces in the provinces of Abyan, Lahij, and Shabwa, as rival parties exchanged accusations over responsibility for the assaults.
On December 26, airstrikes also hit sites in the Ghayl bin Yamin district of Hadramout after forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council took control of the area, coinciding with clashes with tribal gunmen in several locations.
Speaking to our agency, some observers warned that the escalation in Hadramout carries risks beyond Yemen’s borders, given the province’s proximity to international shipping lanes and energy supply routes in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden, potentially affecting regional and international maritime security.
Read more: Middle East 2026: Ceasefires hold, power questions persist across a volatile region
