Saudi Arabia has issued a stern warning to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), stating that its national security is a red line and backing a call for Emirati forces to withdraw from Yemen within 24 hours.
The announcement came shortly after a Saudi-led coalition airstrike targeted the southern Yemeni port city of Mukalla, which the coalition described as a site supporting UAE-backed southern separatists.
The warning represents Riyadh’s strongest public stance against Abu Dhabi to date. Yemen’s Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council, headed by Rashad al-Alimi, set the deadline and urged the UAE to comply. In a televised address, al-Alimi also cancelled a defence pact with the UAE and accused the Emirates of fueling internal conflict in Yemen by supporting the Southern Transitional Council (STC).
“Unfortunately, it has been definitively confirmed that the United Arab Emirates pressured and directed the STC to undermine and rebel against the authority of the state through military escalation,” al-Alimi said.
The dispute comes amid sensitive talks within OPEC, the oil-exporting group of which both Saudi Arabia and the UAE are key members. Analysts warn that any rift between the two could complicate efforts to reach consensus on oil output decisions. The OPEC group is scheduled to meet virtually on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia has emphasized that it expects the UAE to adhere to the withdrawal demand, signaling heightened tensions in the Gulf and Yemen, and highlighting the potential implications for regional stability and the global oil market
About the Author
