A Saudi military ship arrived in the southern port of Aden early Tuesday carrying Saudi soldiers, tanks and armored vehicles, ahead of the signing of an agreement in Saudi Arabia between the Yemeni government and the UAE-backed southern transitional council, local sources said.
The sources added that the ship unloaded its cargo at the port, and that those forces went with their military equipment towards the headquarters of the Saudi-UAE coalition in Brega in Aden.
The leadership of the Saudi-Emirati coalition announced on Sunday "repositioning" its forces in Aden; to be led by Saudi Arabia, and redeployment "according to the requirements of current operations," following the withdrawal of UAE forces.
Abu Dhabi has withdrawn some of its forces from different parts of Yemen during the last period. A Yemeni official told Al Jazeera in mid-January that Saudi forces had taken the entire airport from the UAE.
The deployment of Saudi forces follows the announcement of a Saudi-sponsored power-sharing agreement between the Yemeni government on the one hand and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council on the other, an agreement criticized by Yemen's interior and transport ministers as a "reward for coupists" and a consecration of the "UAE project" in Yemen.
The signing ceremony is expected to take place in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday evening. Under the deal, a new Yemeni government will be formed in Aden.