MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Let's head overseas now to hear about a power struggle in the Red Sea. It's a struggle unfolding among U.S. allies. Now, here are two developments that are pieces of the puzzle. Just days ago, Israel became the first country to recognize the breakaway territory of Somaliland. That's the first one. Then today, second development, Saudi Arabia told the United Arab Emirates to leave Yemen. For context, both Somaliland and Yemen sit at the mouth of the Red Sea. That's a critical waterway for global shipping. And what happens in that waterway matters to all of us because disruptions there can cause inflation globally. Joining me to explain, NPR's correspondent in Dubai, Aya Batrawy. Hey there.
AYA BATRAWY, BYLINE: Hi.
KELLY: Hi. So start with today's developments in Yemen. The Saudis just bombed an arms shipment by the UAE. Now, just to point out, Saudi Arabia and UAE are both U.S. allies. They are both big oil producers. Why is one bombing the other's arms shipments?
BATRAWY: Well, what had begun a decade ago is a really warm relationship between the Saudi crown prince and the UAE's ruling sheikh turned into a very heated rivalry on a number of issues over the years, but it's really Yemen that's the fault line here. A decade ago when Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, chased the Yemeni government out of the capital, the Saudis and the Emiratis joined forces to push back against the Houthis. But splits soon emerged between them. The Saudis were focused on the Houthis, encountering them at their border. While the UAE became focused on the south of Yemen, where it took part in counterterror operations with the U.S. but also backed southern groups in Yemen that want to secede from the north and split Yemen in two.
KELLY: Yeah. I'll stop you there because that's another detail we should add. Those southern groups you just mentioned launched a surprise blitz in eastern Yemen. This was a couple of weeks ago. They managed to capture - what? - nearly half the country's territory in the east. How does that fit into the bigger puzzle?
BATRAWY: Yeah. Those simmering tensions in Yemen exploded into the open today because the territory that the secessionists captured, that half of Yemen, was taken from Saudi-backed forces in Yemen, and it sits right on the Saudi border. A Saudi military spokesman said today the kingdom bombed a UAE military shipment intended for the separatists at a port in Yemen. And then the Saudi foreign ministry issued a public warning to the UAE to cease its support of the secessionists, saying this is a redline and that it will take all necessary measures to prevent threats to its national security.
Now, the UAE said there were no weapons in the shipment, that these were armored vehicles for use by the UAE's own forces in Yemen and that the UAE is committed to Saudi security, calling it a pillar of regional stability. But Saudi Arabia called on the UAE to withdraw all of its forces from Yemen within 24 hours, and the UAE agreed to do so. However, that doesn't mean that they'll stop backing those southern separatists or loosen their grip in Yemen.
KELLY: OK. Let me shift, Aya, to Somalia and the breakaway region of Somaliland. We just mentioned Israel has just recognized Somaliland as a country. They're the first country in the world to do that. Why does that matter? Like, why is it significant in this broader power struggle on the Red Sea?
BATRAWY: OK. Well, recognizing Somaliland, which is a place that is home to around 6 million people, this comes after the war in Gaza, which had sparked attacks from Yemen's Houthis on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea. So through Israel's recognition of Somaliland, Israel can establish a military and intelligence presence in Somaliland just a couple hundred miles away from the Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, right across that waterway. An Israeli think tank in November said Somaliland's location and the possibility of operating from its territory could be a game changer for Israel.
KELLY: Although there are quite a few countries objecting to this, and I want to understand why. Is this about concerns that Palestinians may get shipped from Gaza to Somaliland?
BATRAWY: There were absolutely concerns that Israel may have been trying to do that, and Somaliland has not commented on that, denied it or confirmed it. But the main worry here is about the destabilizing effect this could have on Red Sea and shipping. We saw China, Russia and other Arab states rush to denounce this recognition. But you know who didn't? The UAE. The UAE did not denounce it. And the UAE actually runs a port in Somaliland. So you can really look at the UAE and Israel's engagement with Somaliland through the wider lens of their power play in the Red Sea.
KELLY: NPR's Aya Batrawy in Dubai. Thank you, Aya.
BATRAWY: Thank you.
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