UAE-Saudi Friendship Turns into Enmity in Yemen

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are facing trouble and discomfort, as their respective Yemeni allies turn their weapons on each other, deepening Yemen’s already devastating conflict.

The Saudi-led coalition has confirmed it carried out air strikes at Yemen’s port city of al-Mukalla, targeting what it described as large shipments of weapons and military vehicles bound for the Southern Transitional Council (STC). According to the coalition, the arms were being offloaded from ships that had arrived from the United Arab Emirates.

The strikes underline a dramatic shift in the dynamics of the Yemen war. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, long seen as strategic partners in regional and global politics, have backed different factions within Yemen’s internationally recognised government. Those factions, once united against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, are now openly confronting each other.

An official at the al-Mukalla port said workers were warned shortly before the strike and evacuated in time. The attack reportedly hit a dirt area inside the port, setting off fires but causing no civilian casualties.

The coalition said the operation was limited and conducted to prevent further escalation, arguing that the weapons posed a serious threat to stability. Saudi officials reiterated their support for Yemen’s government and warned separatist forces to withdraw peacefully from territories seized in recent weeks.

The STC, which seeks to restore an independent South Yemen, has rapidly expanded its control across parts of the country, pushing out rival government-aligned forces from provinces including Hadramawt and Mahrah. Despite Saudi warnings and recent air strikes on its positions, the STC has shown no sign of retreat.

Public pressure on the separatist leadership is also mounting. Large rallies have taken place in southern cities such as Aden, where supporters are demanding an immediate declaration of independence. Demonstrators have been seen waving the flag of South Yemen alongside the UAE flag, reflecting Abu Dhabi’s perceived backing of the movement.

Meanwhile, Saudi-backed forces have reportedly gathered near the kingdom’s border with Yemen, though no advance orders have been issued so far. Their deployment highlights the risk that tensions between former allies’ proxies could spiral into wider confrontation.

The crisis has drawn international concern. The United States has urged restraint and called on all sides to pursue dialogue, warning that further escalation could undermine any chance of a political settlement.

Yemen’s government, already weakened, remains a fragile coalition of rival groups held together largely by their shared opposition to the Houthis, who have controlled much of northern Yemen since seizing the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

As Saudi Arabia and the UAE find themselves indirectly at odds through their local partners, Yemen’s war enters an even more complex and dangerous phase — one where friends on the global stage are increasingly enemies on the ground.