Is UAE secretly helping Houthis fight Saudi-backed forces in Yemen?

After quitting operations inside Yemen amid a rift with Saudi Arabia this January, has the UAE made a quiet comeback? The UAE has been secretly providing intelligence and targeting assistance to Iran-backed Houthis in its conflict against Saudi-backed forces inside Yemen, according to a report by investigative news outlet Drop Site. However, the assistance to the Houthis is limited to sharing intel in Yemen and not inside Saudi Arabia, which has been facing a barrage of missile and drone attacks.The situation, if true, is nothing less than extraordinary. The UAE and the Houthis are ideological opponents. While the UAE is aligned with Israel and the US, the Houthis are backed by Iran. However, in Yemen, their interests overlap. The UAE, which was sidelined in Yemen earlier this year, is likely trying to regain a strategic foothold. Residents walk amid debris from their homes after a missile strike in Seina, Yemen (AP) WHY UAE AND SAUDI ARABIA ARE AT ODDS IN YEMEN?Let's jog our memory a bit. The UAE and Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen in 2015 after the Houthis seized Sanaa and were expanding southwards. They were part of a coalition supporting the internationally recognised Yemeni government.Despite their shared opposition to the Houthis, the two Gulf powers backed different Yemeni factions. While Saudi Arabia supported the internationally recognised government, the UAE backed southern separatist groups, particularly the Southern Transitional Council (STC).This rift not only weakened efforts against the Houthis but, on several occasions, also erupted into direct infighting over the past decade. Matters came to a head last year in December after Saudi Arabia accused Abu Dhabi of supporting separatists in Yemen. Subsequently, the Yemeni government also demanded that the UAE pull its forces from the country - a call that was backed by Saudi Arabia. In January, the UAE announced the withdrawal of its forces from Yemen.Now, reports of the UAE quietly assisting the Houthis amid a rift with Saudi Arabia point to Abu Dhabi's tacit bid to control strategically important areas in Yemen.The report, however, paints two differing versions of how the assistance is being provided. A fighter loyal to Yemen's internationally-recognised government on the frontlines (AFP) HOW IS UAE ASSISTING HOUTHIS IN YEMEN?Four sources told Drop Site that UAE-aligned Yemeni forces were helping the Houthis target Saudi-backed government forces. On the other hand, two other sources claimed the UAE itself directly shared intelligence with the Houthis to help them target opponents inside Yemen.Nevertheless, it suggests that backchannels between the UAE and the Houthis remain open. A Yemeni source told the outlet that the UAE passed a "significant amount of intelligence" to Houthi authorities in Sanaa.The UAE has advanced intelligence gathering capabilities. Its covert surveillance project, named 'Raven', established way back in 2009, was allegedly used to monitor militants, human rights activists and critics. A Reuters investigation found that former US intel agents, including ex-NSA employees, trained the Emiratis.On the other hand, the Houthis have opened a line of communication with military commanders who have remained loyal to the UAE. The UAE, however, has not responded to the claims.What cannot be ignored is the reported success of the Houthis in targeting commanders of the Saudi-backed forces and anticipating their troop movements. This was on display during two rounds of precision strikes on October 2 and October 7 at a coalition military base west of Aden.The US seems to be aware of the UAE's moves. The report said a senior official from Donald Trump's team recently warned the UAE over allegedly providing covert assistance to the Houthis and urged Abu Dhabi to end it.A senior Houthi official, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, gave a cryptic response."This does not mean that an alliance exists between the UAE and Yemen out of spite toward Saudi Arabia or as a means of settling scores with it," al-Bukhaiti told Drop Site.He underlined that the UAE was committed to neutrality in the conflict."The UAE remains committed to neutrality and has refused to become re-involved in the aggression against Yemen alongside Saudi Arabia, despite persistent efforts by the Saudi Crown Prince to persuade it to join," he told Drop Site.CONFLICT ESCALATESThe report comes amid a major escalation in the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces.Last month, the Houthis seized strategic areas along Yemen's Red Sea coast, even though attempts to take control of the crucial Bab Al-Mandeb Strait have been largely repelled. Bab Al-Mandeb is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and an important alternative to the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.The Houthis have also struck Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities, which have inflicted significant economic damage on the Kingdom.An attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh earlier this month left 13 dead, including an Indian. It was the deadliest attack on the Kingdom in more than a decade.Saudi Arabia has also intensified its strikes on the Houthis, destroying missile depots and destroying tunnels used by the outfit to store ammunition.However, with the conflict showing no signs of ending anytime soon, Saudi Arabia has offered $1 billion to the Houthi rebels to secure a ceasefire and restore oil exports, according to a report in Israel's newspaper Israel Hayom.It was discussed during a meeting between Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan as part of the Mecca pact. The meeting was also attended by Iranian officials. Tehran, however, is not part of the Mecca alliance.It remains to be seen if the reported $1 billion offer brings an end to the conflict, which has threatened to spill into a wider war in the already turbulent Middle East region.- Ends