UAE Reportedly Backs Yemen’s Houthis Against Saudi Arabia Amid U.S. Tensions

WHO:

The Bulwark - Yemen’s Houthis, also called Ansarallah, are a Zaydi Shia movement that became an armed insurgency; they are allied with Iran but are not an arm of the Iranian government.

Drop Site News - Four sources said UAE-aligned Yemeni forces provided targeting assistance to Ansarallah against Saudi-backed forces in Yemen; two sources said the UAE itself shared intelligence for targeting.

Drop Site News - A Yemeni source said the UAE passed “a significant amount of intelligence” to the Sana’a-based government and that communication channels remained open. The source said Ansarallah had established internal channels with military commanders loyal to the UAE.

Drop Site News - Ansarallah official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti denied UAE support and said the Emirates remained neutral. UAE ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba did not respond to a request for comment.

Drop Site News - STC representative Amr al-Beidh said the Southern Armed Forces would not operate in the north, but would resist any Houthi advance into the south.

The Bulwark - Mark Hertling said Houthi attacks reflect the group’s own political, territorial, and economic aims, while also benefiting Iran.

WHAT:

The Bulwark - The Houthis fired at least 12 missiles and two drones at Saudi territory; Saudi air defenses said they intercepted the missiles, including one headed toward Riyadh.

Drop Site News - Ansarallah’s attacks on Saudi Arabia included a strike on the country’s main airport that killed 12 people and wounded more than 300, according to Drop Site; The Bulwark reported an airport attack killed 13 and wounded hundreds.

Drop Site News - The UAE’s reported assistance was limited to intelligence and targeting inside Yemen, not inside Saudi Arabia. A senior U.S. official reportedly warned the UAE that Washington had learned of the assistance and urged it to stop; sources said it continued.

Drop Site News - Ansarallah launched an offensive to Yemen’s Red Sea coast, routed Saudi-backed forces, and took control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Saudi efforts to retake territory were largely repelled.

Semafor - Yemen’s Houthis said they struck Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refinery.

Drop Site News - More than 250,000 people were displaced by escalating violence; nearly half fled Taiz. The World Food Program said aid agencies could not reach more than 600,000 people there, including over 200,000 women and children.

WHERE:

The Bulwark - Houthi operations included Yemen’s Red Sea coast, Taiz, and areas near the Bab al-Mandab Strait; attacks also targeted Saudi airports, energy facilities, and military installations.

Drop Site News - The reported UAE assistance concerned fighting between Ansarallah and Saudi-backed forces inside Yemen.

WHEN:

The Bulwark - The Houthis emerged in the 1990s, seized Sanaa in 2014, and fought Saudi Arabia for more than a decade; a UN-brokered truce in 2022 reduced large-scale fighting.

Drop Site News - The UAE and Saudi Arabia were coalition partners beginning in 2015; the UAE was pushed out of Yemen in December 2025, according to the article.

Semafor - The refinery attack occurred while the United States and Israel were reportedly preparing for another round of combat with Tehran.

WHY:

The Bulwark - The Houthis seek an end to Saudi military operations, fewer restrictions on Houthi-controlled ports and airports, financial concessions, and greater access to Yemen’s oil and gas revenue.

Drop Site News - Sources said the UAE’s interests overlapped with Ansarallah’s in Yemen after Saudi Arabia sidelined Abu Dhabi, offering the UAE a chance to regain strategic influence.

HOW:

The Bulwark - The Houthis use missile and drone attacks and pressure on transport, energy, and military infrastructure to strengthen their negotiating position.

Semafor - Oil prices rose amid fears of further regional escalation; crude flows had approached prewar levels, but investors expected supply disruption.

(UPDATED October 28, 2026 22:04 UTC)

Yemen’s Houthis launched at least 12 missiles and two drones at Saudi Arabia, with Saudi air defenses saying they intercepted the missiles, including one headed toward Riyadh; the group also claimed a strike on the country’s largest oil refinery. Sources say UAE-aligned forces provided the Houthis with intelligence and targeting help against Saudi-backed forces inside Yemen, though Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti denied UAE support and said the Emirates was neutral. The Houthis have also seized territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, while escalating violence has displaced more than 250,000 people and left aid agencies unable to reach over 600,000 people in Taiz.