Yemen shut flight operations at its Aden International Airport on Thursday amid escalating tensions with the United Arab Emirates, whom Saudi Arabia has accused of backing separatists and pushing towards its borders.
The UAE said it was “shocked” by the ban, adding that the Saudi authorities had clarified later that the restriction only applied to flights operating between Aden and the UAE.
Earlier this week, the Emirates announced a voluntary withdrawal of its remaining “counter-terrorism” forces in Yemen after Riyadh struck what it claimed to be a UAE-linked weapons shipment in the southern port city of Mukalla.
The UAE is said to have been under pressure from Yemen’s Riyadh-backed Presidential Leadership Council and Saudi Arabia to withdraw its troops from the country.
On Wednesday, Rashad al-Alimi, head of the internationally-recognised government in Yemen, warned that any moves by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to further entrench its position in its provinces would have severe consequences.
Also Read: UAE to withdraw forces from Yemen as tensions mount
Saudi Arabia has voiced a strong opposition to the STC and declared it a terrorist organisation. While the STC has previously enjoyed backing from the Saudi government in its fight against the Houthi rebels, the latest escalations have erupted after the STC sought to carve out territory for itself in the southern part of Yemen.
According to regional experts, these armed groups often clash with their backers once they gain greater power and military strength, with similar power struggles witnessed across multiple nations in the Middle East, including in Libya, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.
The recent mounting tensions between Saudi Arabia and UAE prompted the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, to urge for calm between the two sides.
Yemen has been marred by violence since 2014, when the Houthis took control of its capital, Sanaa. The group also controls large swathes of territory in the northwest, with the STC and government contesting the southern and eastern flanks.
It remains to be seen how the ongoing escalations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE will unfold in Yemen in the coming days.
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