Saudi Arabia Accuses the UAE of Being Behind the Aden Bombings, Signals a Firm Response
An unprecedented escalation in the media war between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi follows direct Saudi accusations that the UAE is running bombing cells in the interim capital, Aden.
NYN | Reports and Analyses
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has leveled a direct accusation against the United Arab Emirates of involvement in the bombings that struck the city of Aden, in the latest chapter of open escalation between the two former allies in Yemen, amid what is being described as an intensifying propaganda and media war between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
Public Saudi Accusations Against the UAE
Abdullah Al-Hatila, Assistant Editor-in-Chief of the Saudi newspaper Okaz, said in a post on his account on the “X” platform that “Abu Dhabi’s cells—Aidarus al-Zoubaidi and Ibn Breik—have begun carrying out the bombings in Aden,” a direct reference to leaders of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council.
“A Dirty Game” and an Attempt to Mislead the International Community
In a subsequent post, Al-Hatila escalated his rhetoric, describing the events in Aden as part of a “dirty game” carried out by a “brotherly Gulf state”—a clear reference to the UAE—through terrorist operations aimed, in his words, at misleading the international community and portraying the UAE’s withdrawal and that of its proxies as having created an irreplaceable security vacuum.
He added that these moves are intended to repackage and promote the Southern Transitional Council and its leaders as an indispensable force in the security and political landscape of southern Yemen.
Direct Threat and Anticipated Deterrence
In what was described as an even harsher tone, the Saudi media official hinted at the adoption of strict measures, stressing that “striking with an iron fist” should target “the instigators before the perpetrators,” a direct threat understood as an unofficial but explicit warning to Abu Dhabi and its local allies.
A Power Struggle Beyond Closed Doors
These statements come amid an intensifying Saudi–Emirati struggle for influence in southern Yemen, following the collapse of their partnership and the transfer of their dispute from behind closed doors into the open, with accusations exchanged over the use of bombings and security unrest as tools of political and regional pressure.
