Saudi-UAE Relations Strain After Airstrike on Yemen

The relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reached a new low after a recent Saudi airstrike targeted an arms shipment in Mukalla, Yemen.

As of late afternoon Pacific Time, there were no reported casualties from the strike.

The UAE accused Saudi Arabia of stoking separatist tensions and announced a withdrawal of its forces from the Yemen conflict. Interestingly, the UAE has denied allegations of sending arms to separatists, claiming those shipments were meant for its own troops.

In an interesting twist, Saudi Arabia conducted “limited” airstrikes in Mukalla after expressing concerns about the UAE’s “extremely dangerous” actions in Yemen and their potential threat to regional stability. Reports suggest the arms shipment originated from Fujairah in the UAE and was intended for an Emirati-backed group known as the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

“The ship’s crew disabled tracking devices and unloaded a significant amount of weapons and military vehicles to support STC forces,” stated the Saudi military. “Given the imminent threat posed by these weapons, the coalition air force executed limited strikes targeting military vehicles recently offloaded in Mukalla,” the announcement detailed.

This escalation follows the STC’s recent capture of key provinces like Hadramawt and Mahra, giving the group control over much of South Yemen, an area that operated as an independent state from 1967 to 1990.

With the capture of Mukalla, the separatists have secured a crucial port that has been a stronghold for anti-Houthi operations since Sanaa fell in 2014. It’s a bit complicated, really. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE oppose the Iran-aligned Houthis, yet their local proxies—the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and the Emirati-backed STC—often find themselves at odds.

In light of the airstrikes, the UAE announced a voluntary withdrawal from Yemen, disputing Saudi claims while calling for “restraint and wisdom.”

“I foresee a coordinated escalation from both sides. The UAE-supported STC is likely to respond by tightening its grip on captured territories,” noted Yemen expert Mohamed Al-Basha. “Simultaneously, the flow of weapons from the UAE to the STC might be curtailed following the airstrike, especially since Saudi Arabia controls the airspace,” he added.

The future of Yemen’s coalition government hangs in the balance, as the STC shows no intention of relinquishing its newly acquired territories in the east. Following the Saudi airstrike in Mukalla, the People’s Liberation Army officially ended its security agreement with the UAE, issuing a 24-hour ultimatum for all Emirati forces to exit.

In response, the UAE announced a complete withdrawal of its counterterrorism unit. However, the STC, whose leader also holds a position on the PLC, dismissed the government’s declaration of a 90-day state of emergency as a “unilateral violation” of their power-sharing agreement.

This breakdown in relations not only threatens to introduce further instability but also poses a serious challenge to the longstanding alliance between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.