Saudi-UAE bust-up over Yemen was only a matter of time − and reflects wider rift over vision for the region

Initially, the two gulf states were in alignment over Yemen’s civil war. But the Arab coalition’s unity has long since gone.

By: Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 12, 2026

Words: 1,374

Last Updated: 2 months, 1 week ago

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By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University

Years of simmering tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates exploded into the open on Dec. 30, 2025.

That’s when Saudi officials accused the UAE of backing separatist groups in Yemen and carried out an airstrike in the southern Yemeni city of Mukalla targeting an alleged shipment of weapons from the UAE to the Southern Transitional Council, one such separatist group.

Amid a rapidly …

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