ASIATODAY.ID, ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has officially withdrawn its remaining military forces from Yemen, following a Saudi-led coalition airstrike that targeted a shipment at a key southern Yemeni port—an incident that has laid bare growing tensions within the Gulf alliance.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, the UAE Ministry of Defense said it had voluntarily terminated its counterterrorism units in Yemen, citing concerns over personnel safety. These units were the last Emirati forces in the country after Abu Dhabi completed a broader military pullout in 2019.
The UAE had been a core member of the Saudi-led coalition formed in 2015 at the request of Yemen’s internationally recognized government to fight Houthi rebels.
Saudi Strike Triggers UAE Exit
The withdrawal announcement came hours after coalition aircraft bombed Mukalla Port, a strategic hub in southern Yemen. Saudi Arabia claimed the strike targeted weapons and combat vehicles allegedly unloaded from ships arriving from the UAE and destined for the Southern Transitional Council (STC)—a southern separatist group.
Abu Dhabi has categorically denied the allegation, insisting the shipment contained only vehicles intended for UAE forces operating on the ground.
The STC initially fought alongside the Saudi-led coalition but later shifted its focus toward southern autonomy, eventually seizing control of large areas across southern Yemen, including the strategically vital Hadramout and Al-Mahra provinces, both bordering Saudi Arabia.
Yemen Declares Emergency, Orders UAE Forces Out
Tensions escalated further when Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, declared a 90-day state of emergency, scrapped a security agreement with the UAE, and demanded all Emirati forces leave the country within 24 hours—a move reportedly backed by Riyadh.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected what it described as attempts to drag the country into internal Yemeni disputes, strongly denying claims that Abu Dhabi directed Yemeni forces to carry out operations threatening Saudi security or its borders.
A War Far From Over
Yemen has been engulfed in civil war since 2014, when Houthi forces seized the capital, Sanaa, forcing the Saudi-backed government southward. The Houthis now control most of northern Yemen, while the STC has governed much of the south since 2022 under a power-sharing arrangement.
Last week, Saudi airstrikes reportedly targeted separatist positions in Hadramout, highlighting the increasingly fragmented and volatile nature of the conflict.
The UAE’s full military exit from Yemen marks a significant shift in the war’s dynamics—and raises a pressing question for the region: Is the once-unified Gulf coalition beginning to fracture from within? (RT)
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