UAE Reportedly Agrees to Resume Funding Yemeni Forces as Saudi Arabia Offers Air Cover
The United Arab Emirates has reportedly agreed to resume paying some of the Yemeni forces fighting the Houthis in the south, with Saudi Arabia providing air cover in return, The Guardian reported on 17 October 2026, citing sources in Yemen. Neither government has confirmed the arrangement.
What has been reported
According to The Guardian, the agreement would restore funding to southern forces, chiefly the Giants Brigades, which the UAE previously trained and financed. The newspaper described the units as among the most effective in the anti-Houthi coalition, and called the deal the first tangible sign that the rift between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh over Yemen’s future is starting to heal. The report did not give the value of the payments, a start date or any detail of how Saudi air support would be coordinated with ground units.
What is confirmed and what is not
The arrangement rests on unnamed sources. By the morning of 18 October DefenceMENA had found no statement from the UAE or Saudi governments confirming or denying it; other outlets that carried the story cited The Guardian. The closest official signal is a 13 October phone call between the UAE foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan. The UAE foreign ministry said Sheikh Abdullah condemned Houthi attacks on civilians and infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and affirmed support “for all measures aimed at safeguarding its security and stability”. The statement did not mention Yemeni forces or funding.
Why the UAE left
The UAE ended its operations inside Yemen in January 2026, The Guardian reported, after the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) tried and failed to take control across the south and announce a referendum on secession. Saudi Arabia then bombed UAE arms shipments intended for STC forces, and the STC leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, fled to Abu Dhabi, the newspaper said. The STC has not agreed to send its fighters beyond the borders of the former South Yemen, and neither Riyadh nor Abu Dhabi has answered its renewed call for a referendum.
The battlefield picture
The Aden-based government launched a counter-offensive last week aimed at pushing the Houthis back from Sana’a, but The Guardian said it had made limited progress around Majzar, near Marib, and near the Bab al-Mandab strait. The Houthis are still trying to take Taiz and Marib. In Aden, Houthi missiles struck the al-Maashiq presidential palace on 15 October, killing at least five people, and two missiles landed near Aden airport’s runway on 16 October, according to Yemen’s information minister. DefenceMENA has also examined earlier claims by government-aligned forces around Dhubab.
Other outside support for Saudi Arabia
The UK Ministry of Defence agreed in September to provide an RAF Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft at Saudi Arabia’s request, adding to UK air defence equipment and personnel already in the kingdom. The Guardian said a further Saudi request for UK military help is under discussion. In Cairo, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has asked parliament for authority to defend Saudi Arabia if Riyadh requests it, with MPs due to meet on 18 October.
What to watch
Points to watch: any official UAE or Saudi confirmation, evidence of payments reaching the Giants Brigades, whether coalition air strikes increase in support of southern ground forces, and the STC’s position on fighting north of the old border.
Sources
- The Guardian: UAE agrees with Saudi Arabia to re-enter Yemen conflict amid Houthi gains (17 October 2026)
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Abdullah bin Zayed holds phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister (13 October 2026)
- UK Ministry of Defence: UK military support to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (22 September 2026)
