The UAE is secretly assisting the Houthis in the Saudi war

Abu Dhabi (Caasimada Online) – The United Arab Emirates has been reported to secretly provide intelligence information to the Houthi group targeting the Yemeni government forces supported by Saudi Arabia, according to a report published by Drop Site News .

The media has cited four sources familiar with the matter that Yemeni forces linked to Abu Dhabi are assisting the Houthis in identifying targets, while the Emirates is keeping this matter under wraps.

Two of those sources stated that the support is not limited to the forces linked to Abu Dhabi, but the Emirates itself has directly shared intelligence information with the Houthis, who are also known as Ansarallah.

However, a senior official from the Houthis denied that they are receiving support from the Emirates, while the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is supported by Abu Dhabi, denied having any connection with the group.

A Yemeni source following the alleged secret relationship told Drop Site News that the channel through which both sides communicate is still open.

“The Emirates has provided a significant amount of intelligence to the administration based in Sanaa; the relationship between the two sides is still open,” he said.

He added that the Houthis have established direct contacts with military commanders who are still loyal to the Emirates. The sources of the information requested that their names not be disclosed, as they are not authorized to speak publicly on this matter.

} Some of these sources have confirmed that the reported support is limited to information and targets within Yemen, and does not include assistance for the attacks the Houthis carry out inside Saudi Arabia.

U.S. Intervention

According to one of the sources, a senior U.S. official recently informed the Emirates that Washington had become aware of the covert support and requested that it be stopped. However, the sources that the media spoke to indicated that the sharing of information is still ongoing.

Drop Site News reported that the UAE ambassador to the U.S., Yousef Al-Otaiba, did not respond to requests sent to him to discuss this matter. The White House and a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition also did not respond to media inquiries.

Mohammed Al-Bukhayti, a senior official of Ansarallah, insisted that the Emirates is neutral in the conflict.

“The Emirates does not provide any support to Yemen, whether against Saudi Arabia or the forces it has inside Yemen,” he told Drop Site News.

He stated that Abu Dhabi has refused to rejoin the war that Saudi Arabia is waging in Yemen, although, as he mentioned, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been trying to convince them.

Al-Bukhayti also denied reports suggesting that the Emirates has been in contact with the Houthis to form a coalition against Saudi Arabia. He stated that the solution to the conflict is to stop the fighting, and both sides should lift the blockade.

The accusations are emerging as the UAE and the Houthis support opposing sides in the region. Abu Dhabi has close allies with the United States and Israel, while the Houthis have a close relationship with Iran.

However, Drop Site News reported that the interests of both sides in Yemen have come closer in some areas, after the conflict between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi removed the UAE from its military role in the country earlier this year.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia have been part of the military coalition supporting the Yemeni government since 2015, after the Houthis seized the capital Sana'a in 2014.

After a while, the differences in the objectives of the two countries became apparent. Abu Dhabi has supported southern forces that seek to restore the independence of Southern Yemen, while Riyadh has supported the internationally recognized government.

The report also noted that the UAE has prioritized fighting the Al-Islah party, which includes factions linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, even though the party is part of the sides supporting the Yemeni government.

The Saudi-UAE Conflict

The conflict escalated in December 2025, when STC forces seized two regions in eastern Yemen, which border Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Saudi Arabia then targeted a shipment of military equipment that the UAE had sent to the port of Mukalla, and gave Abu Dhabi 24 hours to withdraw from the country, while also stopping military and economic support to the sides in Yemen.

The Emirates has withdrawn, while the Yemeni government forces, supported by Saudi airstrikes, have pushed back the STC forces. The leader of that council, Aidarus Al-Zubaidi, fled to the Emirates in January.

On the other hand, a report published by The Guardian on October 17 stated that the Emirates has agreed to resume funding for some Yemeni forces fighting the Houthis, while Saudi Arabia is providing aerial support.

Drop Site News indicated that this support is likely to go through the Al-Amaliqa brigades, which is a force mainly composed of southern fighters previously trained and funded by the Emirates. These brigades are fighting the Houthis in the Kahbuub mountains near the Bab al-Mandab strait.

However, a Yemeni source interviewed for the report accused many of the commanders of those brigades of frequently abandoning their positions without engaging in battle, which he said has weakened the forces supported by Saudi Arabia.

He also stated that commanders linked to the STC have refrained from fighting the Houthis, particularly in the fronts of Al-Dhale and Lahij, and have often left their positions.

Amr Al-Baydh, the special representative of the STC leader, denied these accusations and told Drop Site News that the council has no connection with the Houthis.

He stated that the council's policy is that southern forces do not participate in military operations taking place in northern Yemen, but that does not mean they oppose fighting the Houthis.

“If the Houthis move south, they will face resistance,” he said.

This discussion comes at a time when the Houthis seized large areas along the Red Sea coast in September and strengthened their control over the Bab al-Mandab strait, which is crucial for global trade.

Since then, Saudi Arabia has intensified airstrikes on Sanaa and other areas controlled by the Houthis, while the group has launched attacks inside the kingdom.

The fighting has worsened the situation for civilians. The International Organization for Migration IOM reported that more than 250,000 people have been displaced since August 1, with nearly half fleeing the Taiz region.

The World Food Programme WFP also stated that it and its partner agencies cannot reach more than 600,000 people living in Taiz who are dependent on aid, including more than 200,000 women and children.