Why Saudi Arabia And The UAE Are Clashing In Yemen: The Crisis Explained

Last Updated:December 31, 2025, 10:38 IST

Accusing the UAE of 'highly dangerous' activity in Yemen, Saudi Arabia carried out airstrikes on Mukalla and backed an ultimatum ordering Emirati forces to leave within 24 hours.

Smoke rises in the aftermath of a Saudi-led coalition airstrike, which targeted what it described as foreign military support to UAE-backed southern separatists, in Yemen's southern port of Mukalla. (SABAA TV/Handout via REUTERS)

A dramatic escalation in Yemen has triggered an unusually public clash between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two Gulf powers that once fought on the same side in Yemen’s civil war. The confrontation erupted after Saudi Arabia bombed the Yemeni port city of Mukalla, accusing the UAE of secretly sending weapons and armoured vehicles to the Southern Transitional Council, a separatist group that Abu Dhabi backs.

Riyadh called the alleged shipment a direct threat to its national security. Hours later, Yemen’s Saudi-backed government demanded that all Emirati forces leave the country within 24 hours.

The UAE initially rejected the accusations but later announced that it would withdraw its remaining counterterrorism forces from Yemen “of its own volition", citing recent developments. The episode shattered the uneasy balance the two countries had maintained despite pursuing divergent agendas in Yemen’s long war, and it has raised urgent questions about whether the Saudi–UAE partnership, central to years of regional diplomacy and military coordination, is now fraying in full public view.

This explainer unpacks what led to the bombing, why the STC’s recent territorial gains triggered such a sharp response from Riyadh, how the UAE’s withdrawal changes the battlefield, and why the crisis has wider geopolitical implications stretching from the Red Sea to the Gulf.

Why Did The Saudi–UAE Confrontation Erupt Now?

The friction centres on the Southern Transitional Council, a powerful separatist body formed in 2017 and supported extensively by the UAE. The STC has long advocated for an independent South Yemen, which existed until unification in 1990. Its forces control large parts of Aden and surrounding southern territories and have steadily tightened their grip over ports, islands, military sites and key infrastructure.

In recent months, the STC pushed aggressively eastwards, entering Yemen’s largest province, Hadramout, and seizing major oil installations, including PetroMasila. It then advanced into Mahra, capturing important border crossings and consolidating influence over strategic stretches of the coastline. CNN reported that STC-aligned groups now claim control over a total of eight governorates in Yemen. The group’s expansion came at the expense of forces loyal to the internationally recognised government, which remains backed by Saudi Arabia. The rapid takeover of these areas altered the delicate balance within the anti-Houthi bloc, provoking deep unease in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia viewed these moves as a direct challenge to the authority of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and a threat to the unified Yemen it aims to restore. For Abu Dhabi, however, the southern forces represent a bulwark against Islamist factions and a means of securing vital maritime routes. The divergence in priorities has long simmered beneath the surface but rarely erupted into confrontation until now.

What Exactly Happened In Mukalla, And Why Did Riyadh Call It A Red Line?

Mukalla, situated along the Arabian Sea in southern Hadramout, occupies a sensitive position close to the Gulf of Aden, a major global shipping artery. Riyadh accused the UAE of sending unauthorised shipments of weapons and armoured vehicles on vessels that departed from Fujairah with their tracking systems switched off. These vessels allegedly docked at Mukalla without clearance and delivered cargo intended for STC-aligned forces. Saudi authorities said such an act crossed a threshold that jeopardised their national security.

On Tuesday morning, Saudi jets carried out what the kingdom described as limited and defensive airstrikes on the port. A video released by the Saudi-led coalition showed a single strike hitting dozens of vehicles lined up at a base, which the coalition claimed were part of earlier shipments. Civilians were reportedly told to evacuate before the attack, and there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Riyadh’s response was uncharacteristically blunt. The Foreign Ministry said the kingdom would not hesitate to confront and neutralise any threat to its borders. The Yemen government it backs cancelled defence arrangements with the UAE and reinforced the demand for a rapid withdrawal of Emirati personnel. Airspace restrictions followed. The message from Saudi Arabia was unmistakable: the alleged arming of the separatists constituted a red line.

Abu Dhabi strongly rejected the accusations. It said the shipment in question did not include weapons and that the vehicles unloaded were meant solely for use by UAE forces operating in Yemen. Its later announcement of troop withdrawal was framed as a voluntary move made in coordination with partners and with the safety of Emirati personnel in mind.

Why Is The UAE Backing The STC, And Why Does That Anger Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia and the UAE both intervened in Yemen in 2015 to restore the internationally recognised government after the Iran-backed Houthi movement seized the capital, Sanaa. But over time, their strategies diverged. Riyadh consistently pushed for a unified Yemen under a central authority that would serve as a buffer against Iranian influence along its southern border. Abu Dhabi increasingly relied on local southern forces that aligned with its concerns about Islamist groups and its ambition to secure maritime access points.

The STC became the centrepiece of the UAE’s approach. Financial backing, training and military assistance enabled the separatists to grow rapidly in strength and territorial reach. The group, led by Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who is also vice president of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, now dominates much of the south and retains control of major ports and islands of strategic importance.

This rise has irritated the Saudi-backed segments of Yemen’s political landscape. To Riyadh, the STC’s assertiveness undermines not just the unity of Yemen but also the collective fight against the Houthis. The fragmentation of the anti-Houthi front risks strengthening Tehran’s leverage in Yemen, an outcome that Saudi Arabia sees as unacceptable. Saudi-backed tribal groups in Hadramout and Mahra have clashed with the STC in recent weeks, exposing how deeply the rivalry now runs inside the anti-Houthi camp.

How Does This Escalation Fit Into Yemen’s Long Civil War?

Yemen’s conflict began in its current form in 2014 when the Houthis swept south from their northern stronghold in Saada to capture Sanaa, forcing the recognised government into exile. The Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year. The war has since splintered into overlapping battles involving state forces, tribal alliances, religious movements and regionally backed militias.

While the Houthis control the country’s most populous areas, including the capital, the south has fractured into competing power centres. The internationally recognised government, backed by Saudi Arabia, holds sway in parts of Aden and neighbouring governorates. The STC controls vast southern stretches. Other tribal alliances, such as the Hadramout Tribal Alliance supported by Riyadh, operate across the east. The conflict has moved through cycles of intense fighting and uneasy détente, with large-scale hostilities easing after 2022 but no political settlement in sight.

The latest events have disrupted that fragile balance. Saudi Arabia’s repositioning of its forces in Aden earlier this month was quickly followed by STC advances and clashes with government-aligned units. The Mukalla strike now signals that Riyadh is prepared to act decisively to restrain the separatists, even at the cost of confronting the UAE.

Did The Israel–Somaliland Development Add Geopolitical Heat?

The confrontation in Yemen coincided with a development across the Red Sea. On 26 December, Israel formally recognised Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia. While Somaliland lies on Africa’s side of the Red Sea, analysts have noted its potential strategic relevance for Israel in its confrontation with the Iran-backed Houthis, who have targeted vessels in the Red Sea and remain an important Iranian lever on the Arabian Peninsula.

Yoel Guzansky of the Institute for Security Studies argued in an opinion piece earlier this month that Yemen was drifting towards de facto partition, with a northern Houthi entity and a southern bloc dominated by UAE-backed forces. He suggested that STC control over ports such as Aden and Mukalla, combined with their proximity to the Bab el-Mandeb strait, could open new strategic opportunities for Israel—if coordinated carefully with Abu Dhabi—to counter Iranian influence and secure maritime routes.

Saudi Arabia has not publicly linked the Mukalla strike to the Somaliland recognition, but the timing has reinforced the perception that Yemen is becoming a contested space for wider regional alignments.

What Does This Rupture Mean For The Region?

Public disagreements between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are rare. The two nations have historically presented themselves as close security and economic partners, most recently cooperating during the Qatar blockade that began in 2017. Yet differences have widened over the past few years, from diverging approaches in Yemen to competition over regional economic influence and policy disagreements within OPEC. Sudan’s civil war and shifting stances towards Israel added further layers of complexity.

The Mukalla bombing has now brought those tensions to the forefront. Political analyst Khaled Batarfi, speaking to Al Jazeera, called the strikes a clear escalation and argued that groups operating outside Yemen’s Presidential Council would face consequences if they refused to fall in line. He characterised the moment as a choice between dialogue and war.

Abu Dhabi’s eventual statement, which was notably conciliatory in tone, suggested a desire to prevent the situation from spiralling. The UAE affirmed that it rejected any attempt to implicate it in Yemen’s internal tensions and insisted that it remained committed to the security and stability of Saudi Arabia.

The United States has urged restraint, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussing the situation with Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister and emphasising the need for diplomatic engagement. But the trajectory will depend on whether the STC halts its advances and whether Riyadh and Abu Dhabi can rebuild the coordination that once defined their Yemen strategy.

For Yemenis caught in the middle, the latest confrontation adds yet another layer of uncertainty to a conflict that has devastated livelihoods, hollowed state institutions and pushed millions towards a humanitarian crisis. As rival visions for Yemen’s future collide, the stakes for the region’s stability are once again rising.

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