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From allies to rivals/ Why Saudi Arabia clashed with the United Arab Emirates: You have 24 hours, leave...

2025-12-30 23:28:16Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
From allies to rivals/ Why Saudi Arabia clashed with the United Arab Emirates:
The clash between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

A Saudi airstrike on what Riyadh described as an arms shipment linked to the United Arab Emirates in Yemen marked the most serious escalation yet between Saudi Arabia and the Emirates on Tuesday.

Once twin pillars of regional security, the two Gulf powers have seen a gradual divergence of interests in recent years, ranging from oil quotas to geopolitical influence.

Declaring its national security a red line, Saudi Arabia alleged that the United Arab Emirates had pressured southern Yemeni separatists to carry out military operations that had reached the kingdom's borders.

This was Riyadh's strongest language yet against the UAE in the rift between the neighbors, who once cooperated in a coalition against Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis but whose interests in Yemen have steadily drifted apart in recent years.

Friction grew within the coalition, as Abu Dhabi backed southern separatists seeking self-rule, while Riyadh continued to support Yemen's internationally recognized government, ultimately creating an open rift between the Gulf allies.

On Tuesday, the coalition struck what it called a stockpile used to provide foreign military support to the UAE-backed separatists.

The head of Yemen's Saudi-backed presidential council gave Emirati forces a 24-hour ultimatum to leave.

The United Arab Emirates said in a statement that it was surprised by the airstrike and that the cargo that was attacked did not contain weapons and was intended for Emirati forces.

The head of Yemen's presidential council, Rashad al-Alimi, canceled a defense pact with the United Arab Emirates, the Yemeni state news agency said, and accused the UAE in a televised speech of fueling the conflict in Yemen with its support for the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC).

The United Arab Emirates said its presence in Yemen had come after a call from the internationally recognized government and within the Saudi-led coalition. The UAE stressed that "recent developments must be addressed responsibly and in a manner that prevents escalation, based on reliable facts and existing coordination between the parties concerned."

A timeline of the development of the relationship between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi:

In 2011, with the spread of the Arab Spring, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates formed a joint front against Islamist movements.

Their forces intervened together in Bahrain to suppress an uprising and coordinated support for the military overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt in 2013.

In March 2015, the two countries launched a military intervention in Yemen to restore the government overthrown by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Emirati troops led ground operations, while Saudi air power controlled the airspace.

In June 2017, the allies led a boycott of Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, charges that Qatar denied. The move further strengthened the alliance between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Emirati leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.

In 2019, the Emirates reduced its military presence in Yemen, changing strategy but maintaining influence through the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist movement. This left Saudi Arabia to bear the brunt of the fight against the Houthis.

In September 2020, the Emirates normalized relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords, brokered by the US.

Saudi Arabia refused to follow through on this step, insisting that normalization should only come after the creation of a Palestinian state, which gave Abu Dhabi a unique diplomatic channel with Washington.

In January 2021, Saudi Arabia led the Al-Ula summit to end the crisis with Qatar. The Emirates reluctantly signed the agreement, maintaining a cooler stance towards Doha.

In February 2021, Riyadh challenged Dubai's commercial dominance, requiring foreign companies to move regional headquarters to Saudi Arabia by 2024 or face losing state contracts.

In July 2021, the economic rivalry deepened. Saudi Arabia removed customs privileges for goods coming from its free zones, hitting the Emirates’ trade model. At the same time, a rare clash erupted within OPEC, when the Emirates blocked a Riyadh-led deal demanding a higher oil production base.

In April 2023, in the Sudanese war, Saudi Arabia organized ceasefire talks by supporting the army, while UN experts accused the Emirates of arming the Rapid Support Forces, accusations that Abu Dhabi denied.

On December 8, 2025, tensions reached a peak in Yemen, when the Emirati-backed STC took control of the oil fields in Hadramawt, crossing what Saudi Arabia considers a "red line."

On December 30, 2025, Saudi aircraft hit a ship in the port of Mukalla.

The coalition stated that the ship was transporting heavy weapons for the separatists, marking for the first time a direct clash between the interests of the two traditional partners on the ground.


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