RIYADH — Saudi Arabia appears to be seeking closer coordination with the United Arab Emirates as it confronts a Houthi military offensive in Yemen, Middle East Eye reported.
The renewed pressure from the Yemeni group threatens a Saudi oil export corridor along the Red Sea and has included drone strikes on Riyadh, according to the outlet. The security concerns come as relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been strained by disagreements involving Yemen, Sudan and Somaliland.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received UAE Vice President Mansour bin Zayed in Riyadh on Tuesday. Middle East Eye described the meeting as the most prominent Saudi attempt so far to repair ties with Abu Dhabi following the disputes between the two Gulf states.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have both played major roles in Yemen, but their priorities there have diverged. The latest Houthi military activity now appears to be creating an incentive for the two governments to narrow their differences and coordinate against a shared threat.
“The Houthis are bringing Saudi Arabia and the UAE closer together,” Anna Jacobs, a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, told Middle East Eye.
The reported rapprochement places the conflict in Yemen at the centre of a broader recalibration in Gulf relations. For Riyadh, the immediate stakes include protecting the kingdom from drone attacks and securing the Red Sea route used for oil exports. The meeting also indicates that tensions over other regional disputes have not prevented renewed high-level engagement between the Saudi and Emirati leaderships.
Reporting attribution: based on reporting by Middle East Eye — original source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/saudi-arabia-turns-uae-white-horse-it-gears-battle-yemens-houthis.