Saudi Arabia alleges UAE smuggled wanted Yemen separatist leader out of
the country
[January 08, 2026]
By JON GAMBRELL
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia alleged Thursday that
the United Arab Emirates smuggled a separatist leader in Yemen wanted
for treason out of the country and flew him to Abu Dhabi.
The UAE had no immediate reaction to the claim, which further escalates
tensions between the neighboring nations on the Arabian Peninsula as
their partnership in the yearslong war in Yemen breaks down.
A Saudi military statement claimed Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of
the Southern Transitional Council, fled Yemen by boat to Somalia. Then,
UAE officials flew al-Zubaidi to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates,
the statement said. The UAE has been the major supporter of the council,
known as the STC, which sparked a confrontation between Saudi Arabia and
the Emirates in recent days after STC fighters advanced in two
governorates and appeared to be preparing to secede from Yemen.
The Saudi statement from Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki included him naming a
major general in the UAE as being involved in al-Zubaidi's alleged
escape, along with identifying his nom de guerre — something highly
unusual in the typical clubby world of Gulf Arab relations. It also
suggested an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft used in the operation had been used
in “conflict zones” like Ethiopia, Libya and Somalia — routes the
Emirati military has been accused of funneling weapons through in the
past.
The UAE has denied running guns into those areas. The Emirati Foreign
Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The
Associated Press. The STC did not immediately acknowledge the allegation
either, saying Wednesday that al-Zubaidi had remained in Aden, where
forces allied against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels had congregated
for years since the rebels seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa.
Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, said on X Thursday morning
that he met with the STC delegation that landed in Riyadh a day earlier.
They discussed al-Zubaidi's recent actions, which he said “harmed the
southern cause and didn't serve it.”
“We also explored ways to work in the future to address what happened in
a manner that serves the Southern cause, the Coalition’s efforts to
achieve security and stability in Yemen, and we addressed the
arrangements for the Southern Cause Conference, which will be held in
Riyadh soon,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mohamed al-Ghaithi, an STC member and head of the negotiation
and reconciliation committee supporting the Presidential Leadership
Council, called the meeting with al-Jaber “fruitful" and praised the
kingdom's initiative to sponsor the conference aimed at finding a
resolution in the south. Al-Ghaithi confirmed that the delegation
“rejected everything that harms unity.”
“We have heard clear commitments from our brothers in Riyadh towards our
people’s cause and ensuring a secure and stable future,” he added in a
post on X. On Wednesday, the STC had said it lost contact with it's
delegation after they landed in Riyadh, with a Council representative
saying that members' cellphones were either switched off or ringing with
no one answering.
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The president of the Yemen's Southern Transitional Council Aidarous
Al-Zubaidi sits for an interview, Sept. 22, 2023, in New York, while
attending the United Nations General Assembly's annual high-level
meeting of world leaders. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
Southern Yemen had been run under the Presidential Leadership
Council, a group including al-Zubaidi and others, since 2022. On
Wednesday, the leadership council expelled al-Zubaidi and charged
him with treason after he apparently declined to fly to Saudi Arabia
for talks. It marked the latest pushback against the STC by Saudi
Arabia, which also recently launched airstrikes against the group
and an arms shipment the kingdom said came from the UAE.
The war in Yemen, on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula and
bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, has killed more than
150,000 people, including fighters and civilians. It has created one
of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. The Houthis have also
launched attacks against shipping over the Israel-Hamas war in the
Gaza Strip, disrupting a vital route for global commerce.
The U.S., which earlier praised Saudi-Emirati efforts to end the
crisis over the separatists, has launched airstrikes against the
Houthi rebels under both Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister met with U.S. Secretary of State
Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday.
This latest accusation will further strain ties between Saudi Arabia
and the UAE, OPEC members and neighbors that increasingly have
competed over economic issues and regional politics, particularly in
the Red Sea area. The Yemen dispute has become their most serious
confrontation in decades.
The Saudi statement came as part of what appeared to be an organized
media push over the incident by Saudi broadcasters and newspapers
that offered details that could prove embarrassing for the Emiratis.
The Saudi-owned satellite news channel Al Arabiya aired what it
described as intercepted telephone calls highlighting al-Zubaidi's
alleged escape.
Saudi Arabia's English-language newspaper Arab News offered a
front-page image of al-Zubaidi under the headline “WANTED” in the
style of a poster from the American Old West. A scathing front-page
editorial by the state-backed newspaper said the separatist leader’s
refusal to come to the kingdom was “cementing his image as a traitor
to his country.”
“Al-Zubaidi chose narrow self-interest, aligning with foreign powers
at the expense of his homeland and attempting to impose southern
secession by force,” the editorial said. “His sole aim: to seize
power for himself.”
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Associated Press writer Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this
report.
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