Saudi-led strike on Emirati shipment in Yemen exposes Gulf rift

On Tuesday a Saudi-led airstrike targeted an Emirati shipment as it arrived in Yemen, bringing long-simmering tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates into the open.

The two Gulf states were once close partners, teaming up in 2015 in a military intervention in Yemen and later coordinating against Qatar, but they have grown increasingly at odds — backing opposing groups in Yemen and Sudan, pursuing different oil policies and clashing in economic and trade matters.

Saudi officials said the shipment contained arms bound for a southern separatist group and accused the Emirates of pressuring that group into a recent offensive; Emirati officials denied the shipment contained weapons and hours later announced they would withdraw their remaining military forces from Yemen "of its own volition." Social media exchanges and public commentary between Saudi and Emirati figures followed the incident.

Analysts and diplomats warned the rift could affect markets, investments and international negotiations, and Washington moved to contain the dispute — Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent Tuesday calling his Saudi and Emirati counterparts. Why the Emirates supports the separatists remains unclear, analysts say, and some observers expressed hope that airing the dispute publicly might accelerate a resolution.

Key Topics

World, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Southern Transitional Council, Mohammed Bin Salman