UAE agrees with Saudi Arabia to re-enter Yemen conflict

(Web Desk) - United Arab Emirates will reportedly resume payments to Yemeni forces as gains by Iran-backed Houthi fighters alarm Gulf state rulers

The United Arab Emirates has agreed to re-enter the Yemen conflict by resuming payments to some government forces fighting Iran-aligned Houthis in the south, according to sources in Yemen.

In return, Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide air cover for the anti-Houthi force.

The new cooperation agreement is the first tangible sign that the deep rift between the UAE and Saudi Arabia over Yemen’s future is starting to be healed – if only because the advance by Houthi forces across Yemen has alarmed all the rival Gulf state rulers.

Saudi Arabia is facing daily drone and missile attacks and is struggling to maintain an atmosphere of normality, as Houthi strikes immobilise its airports and some of its energy infrastructure.

Southern forces – mainly in the Giant Brigades – were previously trained and funded by the UAE, and are regarded as some of the most effective in the disjointed anti-Houthi military coalition. But the UAE quit operations inside Yemen in January, cutting off its funding supply line.

Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE have responded to a demand this week by southern Yemen separatists for a referendum on secession, a move that would restore the 1967-1990 borders, when Yemen was two separate states.

The United Arab Emirates has agreed to resume funding Yemeni forces fighting the Houthis, while Saudi Arabia will provide air cover under a new agreement between the two countries, The Guardian reported Saturday. The agreement signals an easing of tensions between the UAE and Saudi Arabia over Yemen's future as Iran-backed Houthis advance and attack Saudi infrastructure. The UAE withdrew from operations in Yemen in January, cutting funding to forces including the Giant Brigades, which it had previously trained and supported.

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) October 17, 2026