• The UAE withdrew its remaining forces from Yemen after Saudi Arabia demanded their exit, following a Saudi-led strike on what it claimed was a UAE-linked shipment.
• Saudi Arabia backs Yemen’s recognised government while the UAE supports the separatist STC. There were no casualties reported in the Mukalla airstrike.
The United Arab Emirates announced on Tuesday that it would withdraw its remaining forces from Yemen. The move came after Saudi Arabia supported a demand for the UAE troops to leave within 24 hours. This marked a serious rupture in relations between the two Gulf states and major oil producers.
Earlier in the day, Saudi-led coalition aircraft struck the southern port of Mukalla. Riyadh said the target was a weapons shipment linked to the UAE. The strike represented the most serious escalation so far in a widening dispute between the two monarchies.
Once united as key security partners in the region, the two countries have grown apart over issues ranging from oil production to political influence. The UAE defence ministry said it had voluntarily ended the mission of its counterterrorism units. These were the only Emirati forces still present after it “concluded” its military presence in 2019. The ministry added that the remaining deployment consisted only of “specialised personnel as part of counterterrorism efforts, in coordination with relevant international partners.”
In a statement carried by the state news agency WAM, the ministry said recent events prompted a full review of the situation.
Saudi Arabia accused the UAE of urging Yemen’s separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) to move closer to the kingdom’s borders. It described its national security as a “red line.” This was Riyadh’s strongest language yet in the dispute with a neighbour that once fought alongside it against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement. Their strategic aims in Yemen have increasingly diverged.
The UAE decision to pull out its remaining forces could reduce tensions, but questions remain over whether it will continue to back the STC. Saudi Arabia, which leads the coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government, said it hoped the UAE would end all military or financial support to the separatists. The coalition said it struck a dock used to receive foreign military assistance for the STC. Rashad al-Alimi, chair of Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council, gave the Emirati forces 24 hours to depart.
The UAE said it was surprised by the strike and insisted that the shipments did not contain weapons but were intended for its own troops. It called for a solution “that prevents escalation, based on reliable facts and existing coordination.” In a televised address, Alimi stated that it had been “definitively confirmed that the United Arab Emirates pressured and directed the STC to undermine and rebel against the authority of the state through military escalation,” according to Yemeni state media.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are key members of OPEC, and friction between them could make agreement on oil output more difficult. They will join six other OPEC+ states in an online meeting on Sunday, where delegates expect to maintain current production levels for the first quarter. Stock markets across the Gulf fell.
The UAE joined the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis in 2015. It began reducing its presence in 2019 but continued to support the government backed by Riyadh. The STC later declared its intention to pursue self-rule in the south and recently launched an offensive against Saudi-aligned forces. The campaign broke years of deadlock and the STC asserted wide control over southern areas including Hadramout province.
The airstrike came after two vessels arrived from the UAE port of Fujairah without coalition clearance. Saudi state media released footage of a ship identified as “Greenland” unloading arms and armoured vehicles. The vessel’s registered owner and operator is Salem Al Makrani Cargo Company, based in Dubai with a Fujairah branch, according to the company website.
Saudi state media said the strike caused no casualties or collateral damage. Two sources told Reuters the target was the dock where the cargo was unloaded. Reuters was unable to confirm the details of the site or the nature of the cargo.
Yemeni state television broadcast images of black smoke above the port and burned vehicles. Alimi then imposed a 72-hour no-fly zone along with sea and land blockades on all ports and crossings. Aidarous al-Zubaidi, leader of the STC and deputy head of the presidential council, issued a joint statement with three other council members declaring that the UAE remained a key partner against the Houthis. They rejected Alimi’s orders, saying they lacked consensus.
