Yemen’s Hidden War Exposed: How Saudi-UAE Rivalry Threatens to Unravel the Gulf Coalition

The recent airstrikes on Al-Mukalla Port have torn away the veil concealing a dangerous rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, transforming their covert competition in Yemen into an open confrontation that could reshape the Middle East’s power dynamics.

From Alliance to Rivalry

When Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates launched their military intervention in Yemen in 2015, they stood united against a common enemy: the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The two Gulf powers, leading a coalition of Arab states, promised a swift campaign to restore Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Nearly a decade later, that unity has fractured into a complex web of competing interests and proxy forces.

The partnership began showing cracks as early as 2019 when the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) seized control of Aden from Saudi-supported government forces. While both nations maintained a facade of cooperation, their divergent visions for Yemen’s future became increasingly apparent. Saudi Arabia sought to preserve Yemen’s territorial integrity under a friendly government, while the UAE pursued a strategy of fragmentation, supporting southern separatists and establishing military bases along Yemen’s strategic coastline.

The Al-Mukalla Escalation

The airstrikes on Al-Mukalla Port represent more than a tactical military action—they signal a fundamental breakdown in Gulf coordination. Al-Mukalla, Yemen’s fifth-largest city and a crucial port on the Arabian Sea, has been under the de facto control of UAE-backed forces since 2016. For Saudi officials to publicly acknowledge and discuss these strikes marks an unprecedented admission of intra-coalition conflict.

This escalation comes at a particularly sensitive time. Saudi Arabia has been pursuing backchannel negotiations with the Houthis, seeking an exit strategy from a costly war that has damaged its international reputation. The UAE, having officially withdrawn its forces in 2019, maintains influence through local proxies and appears determined to secure its strategic interests regardless of Saudi preferences. The competing agendas have created a power vacuum that various armed groups exploit, further fragmenting Yemen’s political landscape.

Regional Implications and Global Concerns

The Saudi-UAE split in Yemen reflects broader tensions reshaping Gulf politics. Once junior partners following Saudi leadership, the UAE has emerged as an assertive regional power with its own foreign policy ambitions. From Libya to the Horn of Africa, Emirati and Saudi interests increasingly diverge, challenging the notion of Gulf unity that has underpinned regional stability for decades.

For international stakeholders, this rivalry complicates efforts to end Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe. The United States and European powers, who have supplied weapons and diplomatic cover for the Gulf intervention, now face the awkward reality that their allies are working at cross purposes. The fragmentation of the anti-Houthi coalition could paradoxically strengthen Iran’s position in Yemen, as Tehran can exploit Gulf divisions while maintaining unified support for its proxies.

As the Saudi-UAE confrontation moves from the shadows into the open, one must ask: Is the Gulf Cooperation Council, long promoted as a model of regional integration, becoming merely a hollow shell masking irreconcilable ambitions that threaten to plunge the region into even deeper chaos?