Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, the UAE's vice president, deputy prime minister and chairman of the Presidential Court, met Tuesday in Riyadh with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Emirati news agency WAM reported, in the first face-to-face meeting between the two Gulf powers since their rift over Yemen.
The visit came at the invitation of Prince Khalid, the younger brother of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to WAM, the two discussed ways to advance and strengthen relations between the two countries.
The meeting comes amid signs of a rapprochement between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi as Saudi Arabia reels from weeks of Houthi attacks on its tankers, oil facilities, airports and even its capital, and after the Iran-backed group seized control of Yemen's Red Sea coast from Saudi-backed government forces.
It also comes two days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's secret visit to the UAE, where he met President Mohammed bin Zayed. The Prime Minister's Office said the visit "dealt with strengthening relations between the two countries and regional challenges," and was attended by the head of the National Security Council, the head of the Mossad, the military secretary and the political adviser. The PMO dismissed as "fake news" reports that Netanyahu had asked bin Zayed to deny that he warned him of a Hamas attack before October 7. WAM confirmed the meeting, saying the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them.
