Incensed by recent government gains in Yemen, the Iranians seek to intimidate the UAE into reversing course. It is therefore vital that at this juncture, both the U.S. and Israel offer support for the UAE’s cause.
December 24, 2020
ISTANBUL
Apart from building strategic ties with Israel, the United Arab Emirates’ attempts to control international naval trade in the Gulf and its activities in war-torn Yemen is increasingly becoming a source of concern for regional and global players.
Over the past five years, the UAE has pursued an ambitious strategic agenda in the Red Sea, building military installations and securing control of the southern coasts of Yemen along the Arabian Sea in the Bab al-Mandab and Socotra Island.
Analysts believe that despite reducing its military footprints in Yemen in 2019, UAE has consolidated itself in the southern regions. It has continued to finance and impart training to thousands of Yemeni fighters drafted in various groups like the Security Belt Forces, the Shabwani and Hadrami Elite Forces, Abu al-Abbas Brigade, and West Coast Forces.