Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman received Salem Basameer, director of the Port of Mukalla, on Tuesday, praising his humanitarian and professional role in safeguarding lives and property at the port.

In a post on X, Prince Khalid bin Salman expressed his appreciation to Basameer for what he described as a “heroic and humanitarian” role carried out during recent developments at Port of Mukalla.

The meeting follows a limited airstrike carried out by the Arab Coalition in late December, which targeted external military support at the port.

The Port of Mukalla is the only maritime outlet in Yemen’s Hadramout province, which has since regained relative calm after a period of heightened tensions.

Following the strike, Coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki said the coalition had monitored the arrival of two vessels from Fujairah Port to Mukalla without obtaining official clearance from the Joint Forces Command.

Al-Maliki added that the crews had disabled tracking systems to unload large quantities of weapons and military vehicles intended to support the Southern Transitional Council in Yemen’s eastern provinces, including Hadramout and Al-Mahra. He said the move aimed to fuel unrest and constituted a clear violation of de-escalation efforts and a breach of UN Security Council Resolution 2216.