UAE, Saudi Arabia agree to renew support for anti-Houthi forces, reports say
In short
The UAE and Saudi Arabia agreed to renew support for anti-Houthi forces in Yemen, Korean outlets reported, citing a Guardian report based on sources. The UAE would resume funding groups including the Giants Brigades, while Saudi Arabia would provide air cover.
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The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have agreed to renew support for anti-Houthi forces in Yemen, according to Korean reports citing the Guardian. Yonhap and Hankook Ilbo said the British newspaper reported the agreement on October 17, citing sources. Under the arrangement, the UAE would resume funding some anti-Houthi forces, including the Giants Brigades in southern Yemen, while Saudi Arabia would provide air cover. The supplied reports did not include direct confirmation from either government. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The Giants Brigades previously received UAE training and funding, but that financial support stopped when the UAE withdrew from military operations in Yemen in January, Yonhap reported. The two Gulf states had backed different forces: Saudi Arabia supported Yemen's internationally recognised government, while the UAE backed the southern separatist Southern Transitional Council, or STC. Yonhap and Hankook Ilbo described an earlier confrontation in which Saudi Arabia bombed a UAE arms shipment intended for STC forces, after which the UAE announced it would end its involvement in Yemen. The Guardian interpreted the new agreement as a visible sign that the dispute was beginning to ease, according to Yonhap. [ 1 , 2 ]
Yonhap reported that intensified Houthi offensives had raised concerns for both Gulf states, with drone and missile attacks disrupting Saudi airports and some energy infrastructure. It also said the Houthis had surrounded Taiz and struck Aden on October 15 and 16, including an attack on the presidential palace on October 15. Questions over southern Yemen remained unresolved: Yonhap said neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE had stated a position on the STC's recent demand for an independence referendum. It reported that STC forces had not agreed to fight beyond the former South Yemen boundary. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
The reported agreement follows a dispute between the two Gulf states over Yemen's future. Yonhap said their positions on a southern independence referendum remained unstated.
Key facts
- Korean outlets cited an October 17 Guardian report saying the UAE and Saudi Arabia had agreed to cooperate again in Yemen. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Under the reported arrangement, the UAE would resume financing anti-Houthi groups and Saudi Arabia would provide air cover. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Giants Brigades had lost UAE funding after its January withdrawal from military operations, the reports said. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Direct official confirmation of the agreement. The supplied reports cite the Guardian and its sources rather than statements from either government.
- The two countries' positions on the STC's proposed independence referendum. Yonhap said neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE had stated a position on the recent demand.