UAE to pull remaining forces from Yemen in crisis with Saudi Arabia

Forces of Yemen's main separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council, arrive in a mountainous area where they are launching a military operation in the southern province of Abyan, Yemen, December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer

Dec 30 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates ‌said on Tuesday it was pulling its remaining forces out of Yemen after Saudi Arabia backed a call for UAE forces to leave within 24 hours, deepening a crisis between the two Gulf powers and oil ‌producers.

Hours earlier, Saudi-led coalition forces had attacked the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla. The airstrike on what Riyadh said was a UAE-linked weapons shipment was the most significant escalation to date in a ‌widening rift between the two Gulf monarchies.