As the United States and the Zionist regime carry out attacks against Iran and the conflict expands across the region—with Iran responding through strikes on American bases and interests in regional countries—some suspicious military activities have also taken shape within the broader confrontation. In this context, several attacks outside the targets officially announced by Iran have been carried out against various centers and facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, attacks for which Tehran has not accepted responsibility. Closer examination suggests that these operations may have been carried out reciprocally by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi against one another, with neither country acknowledging responsibility. This dangerous trend—given the depth of disagreements between the two states and the possibility of further escalation—not only reflects deep but largely unpublicized divisions among the countries on the southern shore of the Persian Gulf, but could also trigger unintended and uncontrollable crises within a war whose flames were ignited by the United States and the Zionist regime.
Roots the Riyadh–Abu Dhabi dispute
Although Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were initially described in the region’s official discourse as the two main pillars of the Arab coalition in the Yemen war, this alliance gradually transformed into a complex and multilayered rivalry as the conflict dragged on, particularly after the announcement of a ceasefire.
From the outset of the Yemen war, both countries entered the conflict with shared objectives: containing the Ansarallah movement, restoring the Riyadh-backed government, and preventing the expansion of regional rivals’ influence. Over time, however, it became clear that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi did not share identical strategic goals in Yemen.
Now, amid the war imposed by the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran, this hidden rivalry is manifesting itself at deeper levels. The concentration of global media and public attention on the war against Iran has created an environment in which certain intra-regional rivalries receive less scrutiny. This situation has allowed the two Persian Gulf actors to pursue their competition with greater intensity.
Saudi Arabia views Yemen primarily through the lens of securing its southern borders and seeks the emergence of an allied and manageable government in Sana’a—or at least within the country’s formal power structure. By contrast, the United Arab Emirates regards Yemen largely as a geopolitical node within a network of ports and maritime routes, a perspective that has led Abu Dhabi to support different local actors.
Conflicting political projects in southern Yemen
One of the most important points of disagreement between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi concerns the political future of southern Yemen. Saudi Arabia supports Yemen’s official government structure and institutions recognized by the international community and considers the preservation of the country’s territorial unity essential for regional stability.
In contrast, the UAE has developed close ties over the past years with forces in southern Yemen—particularly the Southern Transitional Council, a movement that advocates the restoration of “South Yemen” and separation from the north.
In practice, this disagreement has manifested itself as field-level rivalry. UAE-backed forces maintain a presence in key parts of southern and eastern Yemen, while forces aligned with the Saudi-backed government attempt to retain control of those areas.
In the current regional environment—where the imposed war against Iran has drawn most attention—this rivalry has at times even resulted in indirect confrontations between forces close to the two countries, with each side seeking to limit the other’s influence.
Ports, energy, and geopolitical rivalry
Beyond political disagreements, Yemen holds considerable geopolitical significance for both countries. The country’s location near the Bab el-Mandeb strait and vital global trade routes makes it one of the most sensitive points in maritime security.
In recent years, the UAE has sought to secure significant influence over strategic ports such as Aden, Mokha, and Socotra. This policy aligns with Abu Dhabi’s broader strategy of expanding its network of ports and maritime corridors across the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Saudi Arabia, however, views these developments through a security lens. Riyadh is concerned that the strengthening of actors close to the UAE in southern Yemen could alter the balance of power along Saudi Arabia’s southern flank and even affect regional energy and trade routes.
Within this context, some of the field pressure between forces affiliated with the two countries effectively represents attempts to contain the other’s influence—a rivalry that, amid the regional war and the focus on confrontation with Iran, is less frequently perceived as a serious rift within the Arab coalition.
Recent developments suggest that the regional war triggered by the aggression of the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran is not merely a direct confrontation between the principal axes of conflict. It has also become a platform for the activation of hidden intra-regional rivalries. Among them, the strategic differences between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—rooted in the political future of Yemen, the control of strategic ports, and the geopolitical balance in the southern Arabian Peninsula—have found greater room to surface under the shadow of this war, potentially further complicating the security dynamics of the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
NOURNEWS