TEHRAN – The United Arab Emirates has long sought to project itself as a modern, pragmatic power, striking a balance between economic dynamism and regional influence. Yet its deepening partnership with Israel reveals a trajectory that is less about stability and more about embedding Israeli interests into fragile states. From southern Yemen to Somaliland and Sudan, Abu Dhabi’s actions increasingly resemble those of a proxy, enabling Israel’s ambitions in one of the world’s most sensitive maritime corridors.

Yemen: A militarized corridor 

Southern Yemen has become the UAE’s primary arena of influence. By backing the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Abu Dhabi has secured control over ports, islands, and oil-rich territories along the Gulf of Aden. These sites are not simply local assets; they are being transformed into surveillance and monitoring hubs where Israeli radar, drones, and intelligence systems play a central role. What should be a process of reconciliation between North and South is instead turned into a security laboratory, subordinating Yemeni sovereignty to foreign priorities. For ordinary Yemenis, this means their future is dictated not by local institutions but by external powers.

Somaliland: Silence as strategy

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland on Friday provoked condemnation from Somalia, the African Union, and Arab governments. The UAE, however, remained conspicuously silent. This silence is strategic. Abu Dhabi has invested heavily in Somaliland’s Berbera port, a facility that dovetails with Israeli ambitions to monitor the Red Sea and project power near Bab al Mandeb. By refusing to criticize Israel’s move, the UAE shields it from regional backlash while preserving its own leverage. Somaliland’s contested status thus becomes another pawn in a wider geopolitical game, with Abu Dhabi acting as the broker.

Sudan: Backing the RSF
 The UAE’s role in Sudan further illustrates its proxy dynamics. Reports of Emirati financing and arms shipments to the Rapid Support Forces — a militia accused of atrocities — highlight a pattern of intervention that aligns with Israel’s interest in weakening actors and securing Red Sea trade routes. Instead of supporting peace, Abu Dhabi empowers a paramilitary force that destabilizes Sudan further, reinforcing perceptions that it is acting as Israel’s enabler in proxy warfare.

Strategic grid and global risks

Taken together, these actions form a coherent strategy. The UAE provides territory, infrastructure, and political cover; Israel supplies intelligence, surveillance, and military expertise. The result is a joint security grid stretching from Aden to Berbera, from Sudan to Socotra. This partnership fractures Arab unity, undermines sovereignty, and risks turning the Red Sea into a permanent zone of confrontation. 

Normalization and proxy dynamics 

The UAE’s trajectory cannot be separated from the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020. What was presented as a breakthrough for peace has instead provided the framework for deeper military and intelligence cooperation. The silence on Somaliland, the militarization of southern Yemen, and the support for Sudan’s RSF all build on this foundation. Normalization has provided Israel with the opportunity to expand its footprint, while the UAE supplies the cover and infrastructure. In practice, the Accords have transformed Abu Dhabi from a partner into a proxy, enabling Israel’s reach across the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

The UAE–Israel partnership embeds expansionist ambitions into the heart of the Arab world, with consequences that extend well beyond the region.