UAE vows to pull remaining forces from Yemen in crisis with Saudi Arabia

Dec 30 - The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday it was pulling its remaining forces out of Yemen after Saudi Arabia backed a call for UAE forces to leave within 24 hours, in a major crisis between the two Gulf powers and oil producers.

Hours earlier, Saudi-led coalition forces had attacked the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla. The airstrike on what Riyadh said was a UAE-linked weapons shipment was the most significant escalation to date in a widening rift between the two Gulf monarchies.

In Washington, the U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud about tensions in Yemen and "issues impacting regional security and stability".