UAE Re-engages in Yemen to Block Houthi Offensive, Signaling Easing Tensions With Saudi Arabia

Foreign media reports indicate that the United Arab Emirates has agreed with Saudi Arabia to re-engage in the civil war in Yemen in response to the offensive by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The UAE has decided to resume financial support for anti-Houthi pro-government forces in southern Yemen, such as the Giants Brigades, while Saudi Arabia will provide air cover.

Saudi Arabia has been backing Yemen's internationally recognized government, while the UAE has supported the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist movement in southern Yemen, leading to friction between the two countries.

The Giants Brigades previously received training and funding from the UAE, but the UAE suspended financial support when it withdrew from military operations in Yemen last January.

The Guardian interpreted this agreement between Saudi Arabia and the UAE as a tangible sign that their severe conflict over the future of Yemen has begun to resolve.

This is because leaders of the rival Gulf nations are feeling a sense of crisis as Houthi rebels intensify their offensive across Yemen.

In particular, Saudi Arabia has suffered damage as Houthi drone and missile attacks have paralyzed operations at airports and some energy infrastructure.

Recently, the Houthis have heavily besieged Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city located outside the borders of former South Yemen, and are urging government forces and resistance groups to surrender.

Additionally, on the 16th, they struck Aden, the southern port city serving as the provisional capital of the Yemeni government, for the second consecutive day, and on the 15th, they attacked the presidential palace in Aden, which has functioned as the de facto capital for the official Yemeni government.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.