Drama in the air: Pilot of Tel Aviv-bound flight to land in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has been seeking to mend its ties with the UAE, in a bid to combat the Houthis' military offensive in Yemen. The two nations have been discussing possible collaboration over Yemen for months, but progress has been slow. The recent visit by UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Riyadh appears to be a significant step towards reconciliation.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed Sheikh Mansour, marking the kingdom's most prominent effort yet to smooth over their differences. The Houthis' recent lightning offensive down the Red Sea coast has been the catalyst for this meeting. The UAE has dispatched two Boeing planes to Riyadh, eager to coordinate on Yemen.

Despite earlier rebuffs, Saudi Arabia now hopes that the UAE's visit will unlock more cooperation from the Trump administration, which has long desired the Gulf spat to be resolved. The UAE's support for the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a group seeking to revive an independent Yemeni state in the south, is a contentious issue between the two nations.

The UAE wants Saudi Arabia to support the STC and ban Islah, Yemen's main Sunni Islamist party. Despite these differences, the UAE still possesses strong leverage over southern Yemeni factions, including skilled officers and special forces who once commanded troops against the Houthis.