The unified façade of the US-Saudi coalition of aggression against Yemen is showing deep and public signs of fracture, devolving from backroom disagreements into open warfare over influence and spoils in the occupied southern and eastern provinces of Yemen.
What was once a strategic partnership between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi now resembles a bitter existential rivalry, playing out on social media and through official statements, signaling the final tear in the coalition’s claimed cloak of “legitimacy.”
A key flashpoint has been the role of the United Arab Emirates in orchestrating the exit of Aidarous al-Zubaidi, head of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), from Yemen. Critics within the Saudi-aligned camp describe this as a “stab in the back” of fragile understandings, pushing al-Zubaidi into a path of open incitement against Saudi Arabia. This Emirati action is framed as a severe breach of trust, transforming yesterday’s allies into today’s fierce competitors vying for control over Yemen’s occupied regions.
A War of Narratives and Accusations
The public airing of grievances has been stark. Pro-Saudi narratives accuse the UAE of engaging in sinister practices that have placed the entire coalition in an ethical and legal bind on the world stage. These accusations range from planting explosives and booby traps at the Al-Rayyan airbase to operating secret underground prisons and engaging in enforced disappearances and torture. The use of explosive-laden bags for assassinations is cited as evidence of a criminal enterprise.
This “coarse unmasking” between the two sides has seen Saudi Arabia threaten to take steps to protect its national security, hinting at potential real-world consequences beyond digital platforms. In response, Abu Dhabi continues with what is described as arrogant statements, even hinting at regret over its alliance with the Kingdom.
Observers note that this mutual recrimination is no longer confined to closed doors but has become a public scream, stripping away any pretense of a single, coherent “aggression project.”
From Political Spat to Potential Regional Shift
Analysts suggest this is more than a transient political feud. It is a harbinger of dangerous field-level shifts in the near future. The critical question is whether this escalation will move beyond screens and digital platforms to translate into concrete political and economic decisions that affect the core of the Saudi-Emirati relationship.
The answer, many believe, lies with the role of the United States, the dominant power influencing decisions in both countries. Washington’s ability—or inability—to realign the compass of this proxy conflict to serve its own and Israeli objectives, especially within the context of the war on Gaza, will be decisive. The alternative is that the rift between the allies has reached a stage too difficult to contain, having slipped beyond control and threatening wider regional repercussions.
Conclusion: A Testament to Failure and a Warning of Chaos
The unfolding Saudi-Emirati rift exposes the chaotic and contested nature of the post-occupation landscape in southern Yemen, where multiple factions, each with external backers, are scrambling for power, with civilians caught in the middle of an increasingly fragmented and volatile conflict.
Source: Almasirah English website
