Saudi Arabia Accuses UAE of Dangerous Yemen Escalation as Gulf Rift Spills Into Open Conflict.
A rare and dramatic public rupture has erupted between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as Riyadh accused its closest Gulf ally of “highly dangerous” actions in Yemen, escalating one of the region’s most sensitive fault lines.
Saudi Arabia confirmed it carried out limited airstrikes on Yemen’s Mukalla port after alleging that two UAE-linked ships delivered weapons and combat vehicles to separatist forces. In an unusually sharp statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said the UAE’s actions posed a direct threat to Saudi national security, warning that such threats are a “red line.”
The accusation came moments after Yemen’s Saudi-backed Presidential Council chief, Rashad Al-Alimi, accused Abu Dhabi of directing forces to rebel against state authority and fueling military escalation through its support for the Southern Transitional Council (STC).
Abu Dhabi swiftly rejected the claims, saying the vehicles were destined for Emirati forces operating in Yemen and had been coordinated with the Saudi-led coalition. The UAE condemned what it called attempts to drag it into internal Yemeni tensions and denied pressuring any force to threaten Saudi borders.
The dispute follows a major UAE-backed STC offensive earlier this month that seized control of key provinces, including parts of oil-rich Hadramout, reviving calls for an independent southern Yemen and enraging Saudi-backed factions. In response, Saudi-aligned groups demanded all Emirati forces leave Yemen within 24 hours and scrapped a defense pact with Abu Dhabi.
The fallout exposes a widening strategic rift between two Gulf powers once united in Yemen, Qatar’s blockade, and regional power projection. The United States urged restraint, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for diplomacy to prevent further destabilization.
After more than a decade of war, Yemen remains shattered, and the Saudi-UAE confrontation now risks splintering the anti-Houthi camp, reshaping the balance of power in one of the world’s most volatile theaters.
