The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has agreed to resume funding southern Yemeni forces fighting the Houthis, sources in Yemen told the Guardian.
The reported arrangement would restore support to factions Abu Dhabi previously backed. It could give Saudi Arabia another source of assistance in its campaign against the Houthis.
However, Maysaa Shujaa al-Deen, a senior analyst at the Sanaa Centre for Strategic Studies, considers direct Emirati military intervention unlikely. She told The New Arab that the UAE could instead provide logistical help.
She explained that Abu Dhabi’s previous operations gave it experience fighting the Houthis and managing key coastal areas, including Aden.
Mobilising southern forces would also take time. Shujaa al-Deen described divisions over whether they should fight beyond former South Yemen’s borders.
Some favour joining the campaign before fighting reaches the south. Others would act only if the Houthis attacked their territory, a position she associated with most of the Southern Transitional Council (STC).
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The UAE previously backed the separatist council, whose confrontation with government forces contributed to a rift between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.
Read: Yemen Says Houthi Attack on Aden Palace Kills Five People
Shujaa al-Deen argued that renewed Emirati involvement would involve political guarantees for its allies. She also identified opposition to Muslim Brotherhood influence as a likely Emirati priority.
Although cooperation against the Houthis could ease tensions, she cautioned against assuming a wider reconciliation. Saudi Arabia and the UAE also disagree over other regional issues and compete economically. Any understanding would concern Yemen, she said, rather than settle their broader differences.
