US Urges Saudi Arabia, UAE to Mend Ties Against Houthi Threat

The United States has privately urged Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to set aside their differences and improve relations to form a united regional military alliance capable of countering the Houthi advance in Yemen, according to a report by The Guardian. This appeal comes amid a significant deterioration in ties between the two Gulf nations.

Relations between the UAE and Saudi Arabia reached a low point earlier this year when Saudi Arabian forces bombed separatists supported by the UAE. This attack was intended to suppress the separatists' attempt to split Yemen and establish a separate state. However, recent Houthi successes, including an attack on the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, have forced Saudi Arabia to reconsider its strategy, realizing it cannot effectively halt the Houthi progress alone and requires the support of the very separatists it previously attacked.

The White House is reportedly calling for a unified military command, including the separatists, to challenge the Houthis. This development follows a request by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to former U.S. President Donald Trump for American airstrikes against the Houthis. Trump reportedly rejected this request, stating at the time that the administration had no intention of directly intervening in the conflict.

Recent reports from Arab sources have also suggested that Israel has been secretly assisting Saudi Arabia in its war against the Houthis, though neither country has confirmed or denied these claims. These reports raise the possibility that Israel is covertly retaliating against the Houthi regime in Yemen for years of ballistic missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.