The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday it is withdrawing its remaining forces from Yemen as tensions sharply escalated with Saudi Arabia over a sweeping offensive by Abu Dhabi-backed separatists, a move that further complicates the decade-long war and fragile peace efforts.
The UAE Defense Ministry said it was pulling out its remaining “counterterrorism teams” from Yemen, describing the move as voluntary, after Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s presidential council demanded Emirati forces leave within 24 hours.
The withdrawal follows a rare public dispute between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, rival power brokers in Yemen, where fighting has intensified after forces linked to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council advanced across the resource-rich Hadramawt and Mahra provinces.
Before dawn Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthis struck a shipment at the port of Mukalla, saying it was carrying weapons for the separatists, a claim the UAE denied. AFP footage showed burned-out military vehicles at the port as workers sprayed them down.
The UAE said the shipment contained only vehicles intended for its own forces and rejected accusations that it was directing or pressuring Yemeni factions to carry out military operations, including near Saudi Arabia’s southern border.
