Longtime U.S. partners Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are increasingly at odds in Yemen, shifting the conflict from a united front against the Houthi movement to a proxy struggle over southern territories and resources.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC), backed by the UAE , has consolidated control over much of Yemen’s south, including key oil and port infrastructure, raising the stakes for Gulf regional influence and threatening to redraw Yemen’s political map.

This new rivalry complicates U.S. policy, disrupts humanitarian aid, and makes it harder to achieve a lasting peace or stop Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea .

Newsweek has contacted the State Department and the foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia and the UAE for comment via email.

Why It Matt

See Full Page