A rare dispute between Saudi Arabia and the UAE erupted after Riyadh launched airstrikes in Yemen, accusing Abu Dhabi-backed forces of threatening stability by seizing territory.
On December 31, Saudi Arabia laid down a gauntlet over Yemen. It carried out airstrikes on vehicles that it said had been smuggled to the port of Mukalla from the UAE.
It said that recent gains by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in Yemen in the last weeks were approaching a red line. Riyadh called out the UAE by name, an unusual type of dispute in the Gulf. The Gulf is usually conservative in its policies, and countries don’t like to argue.
There are exceptions, such as when Riyadh led a number of countries to break ties with Qatar in 2017. This has changed now, and Riyadh and Doha appear more friendly. Riyadh is also more friendly with Ankara and Tehran. As such, Saudi Arabia is now empowered.
The question about Yemen is whether the UAE may have overplayed its hand or if the STC overstepped its bounds. Today, there is a war of words in the media in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The UAE supports the STC. Saudi Arabia is messaging that things are not acceptable in Yemen.
An analysis piece at Arab News in Saudi Arabia says that it’s important for Yemen not to be “Sudanized.” Sudan is in the midst of a civil war. So is Yemen. Saudi Arabia has backed the Yemeni government in Yemen.
Damaged military vehicles, reportedly sent by the United Arab Emirates to support Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatist forces, following an air strike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in the port of Mukalla, southern Yemen, on December 30, 2025. (credit: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)
The government is weak
However, the government is weak and doesn’t control much of the country. “In a region already teetering on the edge, Yemen’s rapidly evolving situation on the ground is raising alarm bells. While international observers continue to place their bets on diplomacy and de-escalation, there is growing concern that the country may be inching toward a dangerous regional conflagration. At the heart of this anxiety lies the Yemeni government’s and the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen’s unwavering commitment to preserving territorial unity and preventing the rise of extremist safe havens that could destabilize not just Yemen, but the broader region and beyond,” Arab News says.
The analysis goes on to note “it would be naive to view developments in southern Yemen in isolation. The parallels with Sudan — where the Rapid Support Forces have left a trail of devastation and a massacre in places like El Fasher — and with the recent Israeli recognition of Somaliland, are too stark to ignore. These cases serve as cautionary tales of what could unfold in Yemen if the Southern Transitional Council were allowed to unilaterally impose a new reality through force and foreign alliances.”
Al-Ain media in the UAE is seeking to show that the STC is doing the right thing. It analyzes the areas the STC recently conquered near the Saudi border. This includes the large region of Hadhramaut.
“The return of Hadhramaut to the forefront of the Yemeni scene was not just a passing event, as the largest governorate in terms of geographical area had remained an arena for terrorism and corruption and a supply line for the Houthis for years,” Al-Ain says. The report claims that the Muslim Brotherhood has been active in this area. It also says the Iranian-backed Houthis and Al Qaeda are active here.
“As a result of this situation, the streets of the governorate remained under the weight of protests demanding services and supporting the Transitional Council to intervene to defeat the triad of death that has been squatting on the chest of the governorate for years.”
The long article seeks to explain how the STC came to control Hadhramaut in a rapid campaign in early December. The reasons for this go back to 2022, the article argues. It’s worth noting that Saudi Arabia had dialed back its involvement in Yemen in 2022 after intervening in the country in 2015. Riyadh has also patched things up with Iran, and the Houthis have stopped attacking Saudi Arabia.
As such, the UAE remained in Yemen even as the Saudis seemed to be reducing their role. The UAE-backed STC success seemed to be the first major change on the battlefield in years.
A second report at Al-Ain says that “the southern government moves in Yemen were not the product of a passing moment, but rather the result of accumulated security and economic factors that observers confirm have deepened the crisis and created a fragile reality that requires intervention to restore balance.”
It adds, “Yemeni analysts told Al-Ain News that over the years, strategic areas have turned into open arenas for conflicting influence, growing corruption networks, and arms and drug smuggling, amid weak state institutions and the erosion of their ability to impose their sovereignty, which has directly affected security and stability and prolonged the conflict.”
Another Al-Ain report also says that the STC believes that the Yemen government has stabbed it in the back. Mohammed al-Zubaidi, the head of the Southern Transitional Council in Wadi Hadhramaut, has said that the head of the Presidential Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, the official president of Yemen’s government, has provided false reports.
He added that “the head of the Presidential Leadership Council and his allies are now stabbing the South and Hadhramaut in the back, despite the sacrifices made by the people of the South, and the land and areas provided by their Governorates to enable the Council to carry out its work.”
According to other reports, after the Saudi airstrikes, the STC has withdrawn from areas near Mukalla, and the UAE is going to withdraw forces as well. Nevertheless, the STC says it remains steadfast in confronting threats.
The military spokesman for the STC, Mohammed Al-Naqeeb, said that his forces stand firmly in areas from “Al-Mahra in the east to Bab al-Mandab in the west, and from Mayun to Socotra.”
While the UAE media has covered the STC announcements, the media in Saudi Arabia portrays Riyadh’s actions as having widespread support.
Arab News noted “Gulf and Arab countries on Tuesday offered their support for the internationally recognized government in Yemen, after the UAE withdrew its forces from the country. It came after the military coalition supporting Yemen’s government carried out airstrikes targeting a shipment of weapons and vehicles destined for southern separatist forces. The shipment arrived in the port of Al-Mukalla on two vessels that traveled from Fujairah in the UAE.”
The report added that “rarely on Tuesday, shortly after the airstrikes, Rashad Al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s presidential council, told Emirati authorities to withdraw their troops from Yemen within 24 hours. Saudi authorities said the separatists, who operate under the Southern Transitional Council and are supported by the UAE, pose a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security and regional stability, after recently seizing territory in the governorates of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra.”
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is now doubling down on saying it will confront threats. Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet, chaired by King Salman, said this in a meeting, according to reports. Saudi Arabia’s king also received a message from Russia’s Vladimir Putin, according to Arab News. This shows how Riyadh enjoys strong connections abroad.