The Guardian: Saudi-UAE agreement to resume support for anti-Houthi forces in Yemen

The British newspaper The Guardian revealed on Saturday a new cooperation agreement between Saudi Arabia and the UAE regarding the war in Yemen, which includes Abu Dhabi resuming funding for some government forces opposing the Houthi group, in exchange for Riyadh providing air cover for those forces.

The newspaper quoted Yemeni sources as saying that the agreement represents the first tangible sign that the deep differences between the two countries over the future of Yemen are beginning to be overcome, amid growing Gulf concerns about Houthi advances and the widening scope of their missile and drone attacks.

According to the report, the UAE was funding and training southern forces, including the Giants Brigades, one of the most prominent anti-Houthi military formations, before announcing its withdrawal from operations inside Yemen last January and halting the funding it provided to these forces.

The newspaper noted that Saudi Arabia is facing increasing pressure from repeated Houthi attacks, which have disrupted airports and parts of the energy infrastructure, fueling fears of continued escalation and its repercussions on regional security.

In a related context, the report pointed to ongoing disagreements over the future of southern Yemen, with separatist forces demanding a referendum on secession that would restore the borders that existed between the two parts of the country before unification in 1990.

It added that the Southern Transitional Council (STC) has not yet agreed to its forces participating in combat outside the borders of the former South Yemen state, noting that any Saudi understandings regarding a secession referendum could affect the council's position, according to the newspaper.

The report touched on the breakdown of direct communication between the head of the Southern Transitional Council, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, and Saudi officials since his departure to Abu Dhabi last January, following the council's failed move to control areas in southern Yemen and push for a secession referendum within two years.

According to the report, Saudi Arabia had bombed Emirati arms shipments it said were destined for the Transitional Council's forces, before Abu Dhabi announced its withdrawal from all forms of its involvement in Yemen. Meanwhile, the Riyadh-backed Yemeni government announced its intention to prosecute al-Zubaidi for high treason.

Emirati concern over Houthi advances

The report stated that Emirati officials are increasingly concerned about the course of the war, despite the losses incurred by the Houthis, noting the group's continued efforts to control Taiz and Marib, which the report described as two of the most prominent cities outside its control.

In terms of field developments, the report noted that two missiles launched by the Houthis landed near Aden airport on Friday, as a passenger plane was preparing for takeoff. There were no reports of casualties from the incident.

It quoted the Yemeni government's Minister of Information, Muammar al-Eryani, as saying that the two missiles landed about 500 meters from a Yemen Airways plane and about 100 meters from the middle of the runway.

This came a day after an attack targeting a presidential palace in Aden, which, according to the report, resulted in the deaths of at least five people and injured 16 others.