New Delhi, Dec. 31 -- The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday it was withdrawing its remaining forces from Yemen after Saudi Arabia backed a demand for Emirati troops to leave within 24 hours, deepening a growing rift between the two Gulf powers and major oil producers.

The announcement came hours after Saudi-led coalition forces struck Yemen's southern port of Mukalla, targeting what Riyadh described as a UAE-linked weapons shipment-marking the most serious escalation so far in the dispute.

The Saudi-led coalition said it bombed a dock in Mukalla used to receive foreign military support for Yemen's separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC). Riyadh claimed intelligence showed containers arriving from the UAE were loaded with weapo...