The United Arab Emirates behinds the recognition of Israel to Somalia’s Northern region last year, Saudi Offcial said.
The UAE’s defiance is showing up as readiness to partner with Israel even where doing so unsettles Saudi Arabia.
This produced a crisis in 2025, when Saudi officials became persuaded that Abu Dhabi was ready to open its Yemeni footholds to Israel, giving the two a joint stake in Red Sea security at Saudi Arabia’s expense.
Saudi officials also believed the UAE had brokered a deal under which Somaliland normalised relations with Israel in return for granting Israel security access to Berbera, and that Abu Dhabi was prepared to broker the same bargain if an independent state ever emerged in Yemen’s secessionist south
