US EditionSaudi-UAE Bust-up over Yemen Was only a Matter of Time − and Reflects Wider Rift over Vision for the Region
The Southern Transitional Council's disbanding ends years of UAE influence and deepens the Saudi-Emirati rivalry, with over 150,000 killed in Yemen's conflict, experts say.
7 Articles
7 Articles
How the UAE’s Decade-Long Project in Yemen Ended in 48 Hours
Drop Site is a reader-funded, independent news outlet. Without your support, we can’t operate. Please consider making a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible donation today.Subscribe nowNational Shield Forces are deployed to key streets and intersections in Aden after security units aligned with the Southern Transitional Council withdrew. January 7, 2026. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)Saudi Arabia continued its consolidation of power in souther…
The Conversation
Saudi-UAE bust-up over Yemen was only a matter of time − and reflects wider rift over vision for the region
Supporters of the UAE-backed and recently disbanded Southern Transitional Council hold flags of the former state of South Yemen during a rally in Aden, Yemen, on Jan. 2, 2026. AP PhotoYears of simmering tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates exploded into the open on Dec. 30, 2025. That’s when Saudi officials accused the UAE of backing separatist groups in Yemen and carried out an airstrike in the southern Yemeni city of Muka…
Pro-UAE Yemen official rules out joining Saudi-backed coalition
A pro-UAE Yemeni official told AFP on Sunday that southern forces, including Emirati-backed separatists, would not agree to unite under the command of a Saudi-led coalition announced a day before. Rashad Al-Alimi, the head of Yemen's Presidential Council, had said on Saturday that all military forces in southern Yemen would operate under the command of the Saudi-led coalition. But Faraj Al-Bahsani, a vice president of the separatist Southern Tra…
The latest escalation in Yemen has exposed deep divisions within the Arab coalition, transforming former allies into rivals for control of strategic territories and oil resources. The imposed sanctions, the port blockades, and the ultimatums exchanged between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi demonstrate that the country is on the cusp not just of a new cycle of conflict, but of a large-scale regional reconfiguration of power.
The Rift in the UAE-Saudi Arabia Alliance over the Red Sea Conflict
On 2nd January 2026, the UAE-backed forces declared war against Saudi Arabia by accusing it of launching air strikes and attacks by Saudi defence forces. Tensions between the UAE and Saudi Arabia escalated in 2025 after a UAE-backed force sought control of an oil-rich province, triggering Saudi airstrikes and the UAE’s withdrawal from Yemen. The rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE could prolong the war in Yemen, undermining regional stability …
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