Riyadh invites Emirati vice president as Yemen rift gives way to signs of Saudi-UAE thaw

• Saudi and Emirati officials signalled closer ties in July.
• Riyadh sought international support as Houthi attacks intensified.
• Saudi, Turkish, Pakistani military chiefs discussed support for Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia's defence minister invited the UAE's Vice President Mansour bin Zayed to visit the kingdom on Tuesday, in the first public invitation for a face-to-face meeting since a rift between the two over Yemen.

In July, top officials and ministers in both countries posted about friendship and unity on social media, signalling a rapprochement months after a public fallout between the two countries.

"His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Defence, extended an invitation to his brother, His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the sisterly United Arab Emirates, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Presidential Court, to visit the Kingdom tomorrow, Tuesday," the defence ministry said in a statement on X.

During the July detente, Saudi General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh posted a picture of bin Salman alongside Sheikh Mansour that he said was taken a few days ago.

The Saudi olive branch came as the kingdom reels from weeks of Houthi attacks on its tankers, oil facilities, airports and even its capital, with the group taking control of the Red Sea coast from Saudi-backed government forces.

The kingdom has for weeks been reaching out to international allies for help in Yemen.

A source from the Yemeni leader's office told AFP earlier this week that he requested American support in a call with US President Donald Trump against the Iran-backed Houthis.

The New York Times said the Saudi crown prince called Trump on Sunday "to implore him, again" to help counter the group's advances, and Axios has previously reported that Trump rebuffed a similar request last week.

On Friday, meanwhile, the military chiefs of staff of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held talks on how to support Riyadh as Yemen's Houthis ramp up their attacks on the world's top crude exporter.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia had a public falling out in December when the kingdom accused Abu Dhabi of threatening its national security by supporting southern Yemeni separatists who orchestrated a brief offensive.

The pair have been at odds in their foreign policy from Yemen and Sudan to the Horn of Africa, where they have supported rival forces.