The United Arab Emirates announced on Tuesday that it is withdrawing its remaining forces from Yemen, following a sharp escalation in tensions with Saudi Arabia that has exposed a deepening rift between the two Gulf powers and major oil producers.
The announcement came hours after a Saudi-led coalition airstrike targeted the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla, which Riyadh said was being used to unload a weapons shipment linked to the UAE. The strike marked the most serious confrontation to date between the two allies, once seen as the twin pillars of regional security in the Gulf.
In a statement carried by the state news agency WAM, the UAE defence ministry said it had voluntarily ended the mission of its counterterrorism units, describing them as the only remaining Emirati forces in Yemen after the official conclusion of its military presence in 2019. The ministry stressed that the residual presence had been limited to specialised personnel operating in coordination with international partners.
According to the UAE, the decision to withdraw was taken after a comprehensive assessment in light of recent developments. Abu Dhabi said it was surprised by the Mukalla airstrike and insisted that the shipment targeted did not contain weapons and was destined for Emirati forces operating in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia, however, accused the UAE of pressuring Yemen’s southern separatists to carry out military operations that had reached Saudi territory, declaring its national security a “red line.” The remarks represented Riyadh’s strongest language yet against Abu Dhabi amid the falling-out between the two neighbours.
The dispute reflects years of diverging interests in Yemen. While both countries initially cooperated in a coalition against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, frictions emerged as the UAE backed the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which seeks self-rule in southern Yemen, while Saudi Arabia continued to support the internationally recognised Yemeni government.
On Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had struck a dock used to provide foreign military support to UAE-backed separatists. Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council subsequently issued an ultimatum giving Emirati forces 24 hours to leave the country.
In a televised address, Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s presidential council, accused the UAE of fuelling strife by directing and supporting the STC to undermine state authority through military escalation. The Yemeni state news agency reported that Alimi imposed a temporary no-fly zone and a 72-hour sea and ground blockade on ports and crossings, with limited exemptions.
The UAE responded by urging all parties to act responsibly and avoid escalation, calling for decisions to be based on reliable facts and existing coordination mechanisms.
The latest tensions rattled markets, with major Gulf stock indexes falling amid concerns that political discord between Saudi Arabia and the UAE could spill over into economic cooperation. Both countries are influential members of the OPEC oil exporters’ group, and disagreements between them could complicate consensus on oil output decisions ahead of an upcoming OPEC+ meeting.
The UAE had been a key member of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen since 2015, before beginning a gradual troop drawdown in 2019. However, the recent STC offensive against Saudi-backed Yemeni forces, which broke years of stalemate and expanded separatist control across much of southern Yemen, has brought Riyadh and Abu Dhabi closer than ever to open confrontation in the conflict.
Saudi state media said the Mukalla strike caused no casualties or collateral damage, while Yemeni state television broadcast footage showing smoke and burned vehicles at the port. The coalition also released a video of a cargo vessel it said was unloading arms and combat vehicles, though Reuters said it could not independently verify the nature or origin of the cargo.
Despite the crisis, STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi said in a joint statement with other members of the presidential council that the UAE remains a key partner in the fight against the Houthis, rejecting Alimi’s orders and arguing they lacked consensus within Yemen’s leadership.
