Overview
- Saudi intelligence said a late December shipment to Mukalla carried weapons for Southern Transitional Council forces, prompting a Saudi airstrike on the port.
- Yemen's Saudi-aligned government subsequently suspended defence arrangements with the UAE and ordered its forces to depart.
- The UAE denied backing the shipment but withdrew its remaining troops by January 2026.
- Riyadh seeks a unified, Saudi-aligned Yemeni state, while Abu Dhabi backs the STC to secure leverage over strategic corridors and ports.
- The competition also plays out in Sudan, where the UAE engages the RSF that controls gold assets as Saudi Arabia supports the SAF, fragmenting Gulf cohesion and complicating U.S. influence.