Tension between Saudi Arabia, UAE reaches unprecedented levels in Yemen

Last updated Dec 26, 2025 12:29 AM

SANAA, Dec. 26 (YPA) – In a precedent that carries many dimensions and indications of the seriousness of the situation, Saudi Arabia was forced on Thursday to issue an official statement about the storm of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC)’s factions to the provinces of Hadramout and Mahra in eastern Yemen.

In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of foreign affairs called on the STC factions to quickly withdraw from the provinces of Hadramout and Mahra, in a”smooth form”, warning of the consequences of the failure of these factions to comply with the demands of withdrawal.

At the same time, the Ministry stressed that the steps taken by the STC forces took place far from any coordination with the leadership of the Saudi-led coalition forces or the Aden government.

Observers believe that the late Saudi statement expressed the arrival of the attempts of understanding that Riyadh was trying to conduct with Abu Dhabi had reached an impasse regarding the arrangement of the situation between the parties in the eastern regions of Yemen.

Although the statement spoke about the UAE-funded factions carrying out the invasions without coordination with the coalition forces, or “the legitimate government,” observers considered the issue of “lack of coordination” just a pretext to justify Saudi intentions to exploit the recent developments in the areas of eastern Yemen in favor of establishing Riyadh’s control over those areas, which was explicitly expressed in the statement by demanding the surrender of areas east of Yemen to Riyadh’s Dera al-Watan or Homeland shield factions, and the STC factions should leave two provinces of Hadramout and Mahra.

The Saudi statement comes at a time when Riyadh is facing accusations of facilitating the control of factions affiliated with the UAE over the two provinces, where many observers confirmed that Saudi Arabia was able to stop sweeping eastern Yemen, but it preferred not to deal with the situation in the hope of investing developments in its favor, before Saudi Arabia was surprised by observers considered this position to be just a gimmick through which Abu Dhabi may seek to extradite Hadramout again, the UAE was confronted with its inability to secure enough forces from the people of the two governorates to keep the area under its control, prompting it to retain the forces it brought from other areas inside Hadramout and Mahra.

Meanwhile, the Washington Institute for Middle East studies published a report earlier this week, during which it advised the Trump administration to intervene to contain the escalating tension between Saudi Arabia and the UAE after the STC’s factions invaded areas of eastern Yemen, considering the two parties, according to the report, “allies of the United States, and the growing conflicts between them can affect American interests in the region.

It seems from the strict statement issued by the Saudi Ministry of foreign affairs today that the situation in the provinces of Hadramout and Mahra may witness more tension between Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the coming period. It seems that Riyadh is moving to abandon its fears of a collision with Abu Dhabi, and these fears seem to stem from Riyadh’s feeling that the invasion of eastern Yemen by Abu Dhabi-affiliated factions enjoys the support of the Israeli occupation and the United States, especially that Israeli experts have openly expressed their satisfaction with what Abu Dhabi has done to eastern Yemen, while it seems that Riyadh has managed over the past few period to create another point of view in Washington and Tel Aviv on the basis that Riyadh provides the same services that Abu Dhabi provides in Yemen to implement the wishes of the Israeli occupation, which resulted in the release of the new statement from the Saudi Foreign Ministry, after a suspicious silence committed by Riyadh that has lasted for several Weeks.