The UAE said it would withdraw from Yemen after Saudi Arabia issued an ultimatum demanding its Gulf rival pull its forces out of the country.
The nations, which are both allies and military partners of the US, are increasingly competing across an array of economic sectors — including finance, energy, and technology — while their geopolitical ambitions have pitted them against each other in Yemen, as well as in Somalia and Sudan.
The latest row was over Emirati backing for Yemeni separatists: Saudi forces launched an air strike this week against what Riyadh said was a consignment of weapons bound for the UAE-linked group; Abu Dhabi has denied the charges.