It was a covert military shipment docking at a Yemeni port that finally brought simmering tensions between Gulf heavyweights Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates dramatically into the open.
Riyadh had for weeks been unsuccessfully using diplomatic channels to pressure a UAE-backed Yemeni faction to withdraw from provinces it had seized next to the Saudi border in December. Now, Saudi Arabia alleged, the UAE was shipping weapons and armoured vehicles to the group, the separatist Southern Transitional Council.
Riyadh was infuriated. It bombed the shipment, publicly accused the UAE of supporting the Yemeni faction’s offensive and called for Abu Dhabi to pull its remaining troops from the war-torn state. The UAE rejected the Saudi allegations but said it would withdraw its forces as it sought to de-escalate the crisis.