Saudi Arabia says its national security is a red line, backs call for UAE forces to leave Yemen within 24 hours
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and his Saudi counterpart, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. Photo: X/ Reuters
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to discuss the current regional situation, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
The contact took place amid heightened regional tensions following Saudi Arabia’s attack on Yemen. During the call, the two leaders exchanged views on the development of the situation in the region and shared assessments of the latest developments.
Dar conveyed season’s greetings and best wishes for the new year to Prince Faisal, which was warmly reciprocated by the Saudi foreign minister.
According to the FO, the Deputy Prime Minister expressed satisfaction with the positive trajectory of bilateral relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to further strengthen cooperation across various sectors.
Read: Saudi-led coalition targets Mukalla docked in Yemen over alleged delivery of STC weapons
Prince Faisal, in turn, reiterated Saudi Arabia’s commitment to strengthening and deepening bilateral ties, stressing the importance of continued engagement between the two countries. The conversation reflected the close and long-standing relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, as well as their shared interest in regional peace and stability.
The contact came as the region faces unprecedented tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates following a Saudi strike in Yemen that Riyadh said targeted a UAE-linked arms shipment. The development marked the most significant escalation to date between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
Once considered two pillars of regional security, the two Gulf states have seen their interests diverge on a number of issues, including oil quotas and geopolitical influence.
Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that the country’s national security was a red line and backed a call for UAE forces to leave Yemen within 24 hours. The warning represented Riyadh’s strongest language yet against Abu Dhabi, as the coalition slammed what it described as foreign military support for UAE-backed southern separatists. The head of Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council also set a deadline for Emirati forces to withdraw.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are both major players in the OPEC oil exporting group, and any disagreement between the two could complicate consensus on decisions on oil production.
Also read: Saudi Arabia calls national security a red line, calls on UAE to leave Yemen
Meanwhile, the head of Yemen’s presidential council, Rashad al-Alimi, canceled a defense pact with the UAE, Yemen’s state news agency reported, accusing Abu Dhabi of fueling internal strife through its support for the Southern Transitional Council (STC).
“Unfortunately, it has been definitively confirmed that the UAE pressured and instructed the STC to undermine and rebel against the authority of the state through military escalation,” he said in a televised speech.
The UAE had been part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen since 2015. Although it began drawing down its troops in 2019, it remained committed to the Saudi-backed internationally recognized government.
The STC later sought autonomy in southern Yemen and this month launched a surprise offensive against Saudi-backed government forces, breaking years of stalemate. The move brought the Gulf allies closer to confrontation and raised fears of a renewed civil war.
The STC claimed broad control over southern Yemen, including the strategically important province of Hadramout. Saudi Arabia had warned the group against military advances in the area and called for a withdrawal, a demand the STC rejected.
According to the coalition, limited airstrikes early on Tuesday followed the arrival of two vessels from the UAE port of Fujairah over the weekend without authorization. After reaching Mukalla, the ships reportedly disabled their tracking systems and unloaded large quantities of weapons and combat vehicles to support the STC.
Saudi state media released a video showing a ship identified as Greenlandwhich it said had transported weapons and combat vehicles from the Emirati port of Fujairah.
