Assassination attempt in Aden sparks Saudi–UAE clash
SANAA, Jan. 22 (YPA) – The attempted assassination of Al-Amaliqa Brigades leader Hamdi Shoukry Al-Subaihi has raised widespread questions about the future of Yemen’s southern and eastern provinces in general, and the city of Aden in particular.
The attack, which took place on Wednesday and resulted in the death and injury of several members of Shoukry’s security’s escorts, was viewed by observers as a serious indicator of escalating security chaos facing those provinces.
This comes amid an intensifying conflict between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as Riyadh seeks to reorganize the situation in line with its interests following the decline of UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council. While Abu Dhabi attempts to counter Saudi influence and regain leverage in the region.
Exchange of accusations between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, accusations were exchanged between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. Unofficial Emirati circles directly accused Saudi Arabia of being behind the assassination attempt.
Emirati activists and political figures, including strategic affairs expert Amjad Taha, claimed that Saudi-linked actors were involved, accusing Riyadh of supporting extremist groups and employing them to carry out terrorist operations. According to these claims, the attack was intended to obstruct political movements in southern Yemen.
Saudi Arabia, for its part, accused the UAE of orchestrating the operation and vowed to take “additional and major steps” in response to what it described as an undeclared Emirati escalation in Yemen.
Sources close to decision-making circles in Riyadh, including Saudi journalist Salman Al-Ansari, argued that the attack occurred at a sensitive moment as Saudi Arabia was working to reorganize security in Aden following the Emirati withdrawal, accusing Abu Dhabi of choosing to escalate covertly.
A scene open to the worst
Regardless of who was ultimately responsible for the assassination attempt on Hamdi Shoukry, the incident itself signaled the likelihood of a new wave of targeted killings and an expansion of security chaos that could engulf southern and eastern Yemen, regions already mired in instability.
Observers believed the attempt on Al-Subaihi’s life may mark the beginning of a far more complex and dangerous security phase, the contours of which are now emerging amid the intensifying Saudi-Emirati rivalry—turning those provinces into an open theater for liquidation and mutual bloody messages.
AA