UAE–Israeli Cooperation to Compensate for Loss of Influence in Yemen
Military Air Movements and Expansion Toward the Horn of Africa Amid Escalating Tensions with Saudi Arabia
NYN | Reports and Analyses
Recent flight-tracking data have revealed that a UAE-linked cargo aircraft carried out a series of consecutive flights between military bases in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Israel, and Ethiopia, pointing to the growth of a new regional coordination effort led by Abu Dhabi to compensate for its strategic losses in Yemen.
Air Routes at a Sensitive Juncture
The British outlet Middle East Eye reported that these air movements come at an extremely sensitive time, coinciding with an escalation in the struggle for influence between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, following the UAE’s forced withdrawal from Yemen and the decline of its military and political presence there.
According to information reviewed by the site, several of the heavy cargo aircraft involved in these flights had previously been linked to operations transporting military equipment to UAE-backed actors in both Sudan and Libya.
Beyond Yemen: Regional Repositioning
These developments fall within the framework of rapid regional shifts that followed a Saudi move that effectively ended Emirati influence in southern Yemen, by dismantling its most prominent proxy—the Southern Transitional Council—dismissing a number of its leaders and pursuing others.
Somalia… The First Repercussions
In a related context, Somalia witnessed the first ripple effects of this shift, after the government in Mogadishu canceled all existing agreements with Abu Dhabi, following its alignment with the Saudi camp. This included ending the Emirati presence at the military base in the northern city of Bosaso—a move described as a severe blow to the UAE’s project in the region and the Red Sea.
A New Security Partnership with Israel
Observers believe that the Emirati–Israeli convergence reflects a clear attempt by Abu Dhabi to offset its losses in Yemen by expanding its influence in the Horn of Africa, relying on new security partnerships and undeclared coordination on sensitive regional files, amid the redrawing of maps of influence in the region.
