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Citing two sources, the Drop Site’s report claimed that the UAE directly shared intelligence with the Houthis to help them target forces inside Yemen.
Supporters of the Houthi authorities brandish their weapons during a protest against Saudi intervention in Yemen, in Sanaa, on October 9, 2026. (AFP Photo)
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has allegedly been providing intelligence and targeting assistance to Yemen’s Iran-aligned Ansarallah, also known as the Houthis, in their fight against Saudi-backed forces, even as the Gulf state remains a key ally of the United States and Israel, according to a report by Drop Site News.
According to Drop Site News, UAE-aligned Yemeni forces have helped Ansarallah target Saudi-backed government troops, with Abu Dhabi allegedly allowing the arrangement to continue.
UAE-Houthi Backchannel?
Citing two sources, the report claimed that the UAE directly shared intelligence with the Houthis to help them target forces inside Yemen.
A Yemeni source familiar with the backchannel told Drop Site that “the UAE has passed a significant amount of intelligence to the Sana’a-based government; the line of communication between the two sides remains open.”
As per the report, Ansarallah had “established their own channels of communication internally with military commanders” who are loyal to the UAE.
Tension Flares Between Saudi, Houthis
At A Glance
A report by Drop Site News alleged that the UAE has provided intelligence and targeting assistance to Yemen’s Houthi movement to target Saudi-backed government troops.
The Houthis claimed they struck Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery with a ballistic missile on Tuesday, October 27.
The Ras Tanura facility has a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day and houses a shipping terminal on the Gulf.
A senior American official reportedly warned the UAE and urged Abu Dhabi to stop the alleged covert assistance.
Officials from the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council and Houthi leadership have both denied any backchannel coordination between the two sides.
The claims come amid escalating hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Houthiswho have expanded their military operations across strategic areas of Yemen and targeted Saudi infrastructure.
On Tuesday, October 27, the Houthis said they had struck Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery with a ballistic missile, setting a fire at the complex, according to their military spokesperson, Yahya Saree.
The facility, which has a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day, also houses a shipping terminal on the Gulf, west of the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the reported strike.
The Houthis also claimed to have targeted Saudi military aircraft at Najran Airport and an airbase in Khamis Mushait, as well as the Saudi defence ministry building in Riyadh and Abha airport.
They further said they had repelled an advance by Saudi-backed forces near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical Red Sea shipping passage.
The latest attacks have added to disruptions in oil supplies and heightened concerns about a broader regional conflict, eight months after the Iran war began.
Nearly all Saudi oil exports move through two principal ports, Ras Tanura in the Gulf and Yanbu on the Red Sea, both of which have been targeted by the Houthis in the past.
Why Would The UAE Help The Houthis?
The reported cooperation has marked a significant departure from the UAE’s longstanding opposition to Ansarallah.
Abu Dhabi is closely aligned with Washington and Israel, while the Houthis maintain close ties with Iran. Their strategic interests have traditionally put them on opposing sides of regional conflicts.
However, the sources cited by Drop Site suggested that their interests in Yemen may have converged following a deterioration in relations between the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The report said Abu Dhabi was sidelined in Yemen earlier this year and could seek to regain influence through its links with local military commanders.
The alleged assistance is reportedly restricted to intelligence and targeting operations within Yemen. Some sources told Drop Site that it did not extend to helping the Houthis target Saudi Arabia.
That distinction is significant given the scale of the Houthis’ recent attacks on Saudi territory. Their strikes on the kingdom have included attacks on its main airport, one of which reportedly killed 12 people and injured more than 300, prompting the cancellation of the Future Investment Initiative conference, commonly called the “Davos in the Desert.”
A senior American official recently warned the UAE that Washington had learned of the alleged covert assistance and urged Abu Dhabi to stop it, one source told Drop Site.
UAE, Saudi Arabia And The Yemen Conflict
The UAE and Saudi Arabia entered Yemen’s conflict on the same side in 2015, joining a coalition supporting the internationally recognised Yemeni government after Ansarallah captured Sana’a in 2014.
The government, commonly referred to as the internationally recognised government (IRG), remains largely based in Riyadh.
Their partnership, however, was strained by competing objectives and rival local allies. Tensions culminated in clashes between UAE-backed forces and Saudi-backed military units in southern Yemen in December last year, after which the UAE was effectively forced out of the country, according to the report.
The report also alleged that commanders affiliated with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) had avoided fighting the Houthis, slowing military operations along front lines in the southern governorates of Al-Dhale and Lahj, which border Taiz governorate. These commanders were also said to have withdrawn frequently from their positions.
UAE-Backed STC Denies Houthis Backchannel
The allegations of coordination have been rejected by UAE-linked officials and contradicted by public statements from Ansarallah.
A senior UAE-based official categorically stated to Drop Site that “the STC has no channels of communication with the Houthis” and denied that STC forces were refusing to fight Ansarallah in southern Yemen.
Amr al-Beidh, special representative of the STC president, told Drop Site that “The STC has publicly and consistently maintained that the Southern Armed Forces will not participate in military operations in the North,” adding, “This should not be confused with an unwillingness to confront the Houthis. Quite the opposite. Any Houthi advance towards the South will be met with resistance.”
“It is important to distinguish between our policy of not engaging in military operations in the north and our firm commitment to defending the South against the Houthis,” he added.
Ansarallah has also denied receiving assistance from the UAE, as per the report.
Senior Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said the Emirates had maintained a neutral position despite pressure from Saudi Arabia to join the campaign against the group.
“The UAE has not provided any form of support to Yemen—neither against Saudi Arabia nor against its proxies within Yemen,” he told Drop Site.
“According to our information, 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 [Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed] bin Salman to persuade it to join,” he added.
Quick Answers
Ask News18A report by Drop Site News claimed that the United Arab Emirates has allegedly been providing intelligence and targeting assistance to Yemen’s Iran-aligned Ansarallah, or Houthis, to help them target Saudi-backed forces. According to sources, UAE-aligned Yemeni forces and local military commanders have maintained an open line of communication and shared significant intelligence with the Sana’a-based government.
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Prisha is the Chief Sub-Editor at News18.com, with more than 10 years of experience in national and international news. She specialises in editorial leadership, sharp news judgment, and high-impact st…Read More
October 28, 2026, 08:19 IST
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