The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday it was withdrawing its remaining military forces from Yemen, following an ultimatum from Saudi Arabia demanding their exit within 24 hours, as tensions sharply escalated over a rapid territorial advance by UAE-backed southern separatists.
In a statement, the UAE defence ministry said it had begun pulling out “counter-terrorism teams” deployed in southern Yemen, stressing that the move was taken “of its own volition.” Abu Dhabi denied allegations that it was orchestrating the recent offensive by the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a powerful separatist group seeking autonomy — or outright independence — for southern Yemen.
The announcement came amid an extraordinary public rupture between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, long-time allies and co-leaders of the coalition fighting Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Both Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council had demanded the immediate withdrawal of Emirati forces, accusing Abu Dhabi of undermining Yemen’s unity and Saudi national security.
The diplomatic fallout quickly drew in Washington. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke separately with his Saudi and Emirati counterparts, the State Department said, underscoring the seriousness of the crisis between two of America’s key regional partners.
“Secretary Rubio discussed the situation in Yemen and broader issues affecting Middle Eastern security and stability,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said, referring to Rubio’s call with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Before dawn on Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes on an Emirati shipment at Yemen’s Mukalla port, claiming it was transporting weapons destined for separatist forces. The UAE firmly rejected the allegation, saying the cargo consisted solely of vehicles intended for its own personnel.
Footage from Mukalla showed dozens of military vehicles and pick-up trucks parked at the port, several burned and still smouldering as workers attempted to extinguish the flames. The strikes marked one of the most direct military confrontations yet between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi since the Yemen war began nearly a decade ago.
Tuesday’s dramatic developments follow a sweeping advance this month by STC forces across Yemen’s eastern provinces of Hadramawt and Mahra — areas rich in oil, gas, and strategic coastline. The operation has plunged Yemen into fresh turmoil just as fragile peace talks with the Houthis appeared to be inching forward.
The STC’s push has reignited fears of Yemen’s division, raising the prospect of a revival of South Yemen, which existed as an independent state from 1967 until its unification with the north in 1990. Analysts say the offensive has dealt a major blow to UN-backed negotiations aimed at ending the long-running conflict.
The UAE entered Yemen in 2015 as part of the Saudi-led coalition after Houthi fighters seized the capital, Sanaa, and forced the internationally recognised government into exile. While Abu Dhabi formally withdrew most of its troops in 2019, it retained a limited military presence in the south, where competing militias and security forces wield significant influence.
Saudi Arabia, however, accused the UAE of crossing a red line by encouraging STC forces to operate near its southern border.
“The steps taken by the UAE are considered highly dangerous,” Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “The Kingdom stresses that any threat to its national security is a red line.”
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council responded by dissolving a defence pact with the UAE and declaring a 90-day state of emergency, underscoring the severity of the political rupture.
Abu Dhabi rejected claims that it had pressured or directed the STC’s military operations. “The UAE condemns the claims made regarding exertion of pressure or direction on any Yemeni party to carry out military operations,” a government statement said. It reiterated that the Mukalla shipment contained no weapons.
Despite the rising tensions, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE signalled openness to dialogue. “Diplomacy is still an option to stop any further escalation,” a source close to the Saudi-led coalition said.
The STC, however, struck a defiant tone. “There is no thinking about withdrawal,” spokesman Anwar Al-Tamimi said, insisting that STC forces were defending their own territory. “It is unreasonable for the landowner to be asked to leave his own land.”
Tamimi warned that any advance toward STC-held positions would be met with force, adding that Saudi Arabia had deployed around 20,000 security personnel along its border with Hadramawt, adjacent to separatist-controlled areas.
The STC occupies a paradoxical position in Yemen’s fractured politics: while it is a key member of the internationally recognised government, it also pursues an agenda that directly challenges Yemen’s territorial integrity.
For civilians, the renewed violence has brought fresh fear. Mukalla resident Abdullah Bazuhair said air strikes shattered the windows of his home overlooking the port. “The children were terrified and the women frightened,” he said, calling the attack “unacceptable to God.”
The Saudi-led coalition has warned it will back Yemen’s government in any confrontation with separatist forces and has urged the STC to withdraw. Saudi air strikes reportedly targeted separatist positions in Hadramawt last week, and Yemeni military officials say thousands of Saudi-backed troops remain massed near the border, awaiting orders.
As Yemen’s war enters a volatile new phase, the unraveling alliance between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi threatens to deepen an already complex conflict, with consequences that could reverberate far beyond the country’s borders.
