File: UAE President Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed (MBZ) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman (MBS) are shown during a meeting in Riyadh (3/9/2025)
By Ya Libnan Editorial Borad , Op.Ed
With each passing day, it becomes clearer that Saudi Arabia’s strikes against UAE-backed secessionists in Yemen late last year and earlier this month were not isolated incidents, but the opening chapter of a troubling rift between two of the Gulf’s most influential states.
In late December, Saudi Arabia bombed a weapons shipment at the port of Mukalla reportedly destined for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC). Earlier this month, Saudi-led coalition airstrikes followed, targeting STC camps in Yemen’s Hadramawt and al-Mahra provinces. These actions signal a dangerous escalation between former allies.
What makes this rupture particularly alarming is that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates jointly formed a coalition in 2015 to confront the Houthi rebels in Yemen. While initially united against the Iran-backed group, their strategies diverged over time. The UAE prioritized control over southern ports and maritime routes while backing separatist forces, whereas Saudi Arabia continued to support Yemen’s internationally recognized central government. What began as tactical differences has now evolved into open confrontation.
The implications go far beyond Yemen. Both Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed have long been viewed as the architects of a new Middle East — leaders willing to challenge old orthodoxies and move the region away from perpetual conflict. Many in the region, Ya Libnan and its readers included, placed genuine hope in their vision. They represented a rare opportunity: reform instead of repression, development instead of destruction, ambition instead of resignation.
That is precisely why this rift is so deeply disappointing — and so dangerous. When reformers clash, progress doesn’t merely slow; it fractures. Worse, an entire generation that believed change was finally possible without more wars begins to lose faith. The damage here is not only geopolitical, but psychological. Disillusionment is fertile ground for extremism, instability, and renewed conflict.
The Gulf does not need another internal struggle. The Middle East, already exhausted by decades of wars and proxy battles, cannot afford a power rivalry between its two most powerful Arab states. Early signs of regional realignments suggest that this conflict could weaken the Gulf Cooperation Council, embolden regional adversaries, and undo years of diplomatic and economic progress.
This is a moment that demands wisdom, restraint, and leadership. It is time for the region’s elders, diplomats, and decision-makers to intervene and press for reconciliation before the damage becomes irreversible.
And one must ask: what happened to Vision 2030? That vision once stood as the most credible hope for a prosperous, modern Middle East — one focused on opportunity, innovation, and dignity rather than endless confrontation. Allowing regional rivalries to eclipse cooperation risks turning that promise into yet another lost chapter in the region’s history.
This is not a call for weakness, but for foresight. The Middle East needs bridges, not fault lines. Ending the Saudi-UAE rift is not just desirable — it is essential.
