Gulf tensions: Heated online feud erupts between pro-Saudi and pro-UAE accounts

A heated online feud has erupted between prominent Saudi and Emirati voices, as growing tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over several regional issues spill onto social media.

The exchanges mark a sharp departure from years of carefully calibrated rhetoric around Gulf unity, with commentators, journalists and businessmen from both countries openly questioning one another’s motives, influence and regional standing.

The online escalation follows Saudi Arabia’s bombing of what it described as a UAE-linked weapons shipment in southern Yemen on 30 December. Riyadh said the shipment had arrived at the port of Mukalla aboard two vessels originating from Fujairah and was bound for the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is backed by Abu Dhabi.

In a rare public rebuke, the Saudi foreign ministry accused the UAE of “highly dangerous” behaviour, saying it was disappointed by Emirati actions that “pressured” STC forces to carry out military operations near Saudi Arabia’s southern border in Hadhramaut and al-Mahra.

Abu Dhabi rejected the accusation, saying the statement contained “fundamental inaccuracies”.

Hours after the Saudi strike, the Emirati defence ministry announced it was withdrawing its forces from Yemen. The UAE later confirmed that its troops had left the country “in line with its approach" of de-escalation.

As tensions intensified, social media became a key arena for competing narratives. 

On 2 January, Emirati political scientist Abdulkhaleq Abdulla suggested that recurring disputes between Gulf states stem from what he described as a “big brother syndrome”.

“Tensions that erupt between Gulf countries sometimes go back to the ‘older brother’ complex,” he wrote - in apparent reference to Saudi Arabia. He argued that while Gulf states respect “him”, they “reject subordination” and insist on “independent sovereign decision-making”.

The remarks drew a swift response from Saudi journalist Adhwan al-Ahmari, who rejected the framing outright.

“The older brother rises above such things,” he wrote. “Tensions begin when some believe that money creates leadership, and that it gives them the right to fuel conflicts in Yemen, Sudan and Libya.”

Saudi commentator Ali Shihabi also framed the dispute in familial terms, writing that “from time to time, the younger sibling still feels compelled to rebel against the older brother, if only to make a point”.

Regional allies

Days later, on 6 January, Abdulla returned to social media with a post highlighting Egypt’s regional role, sharing an image of the Egyptian and Emirati foreign ministers and describing Cairo as part of an “axis of de-escalation and stability” led by the UAE and Egypt. 

His post came a day after Cairo said it shared “identical” positions with Riyadh on a range of issues, including Yemen, Sudan and Somaliland. 

Translation: It [UAE] has more mercenaries than citizens.

The post fed into an already sensitive debate over regional leadership.

Saudi television host Dawood al-Shiryan last week had criticised Emirati journalist Nadim Koteich for questioning the Saudi premise that Gulf and Arab stability ultimately rests on Riyadh, writing that Saudi Arabia was not merely “a state within a network” but “the core - the head and the body - upon which the entire regional order rests”.

'Large-scale campaign'

As the exchanges intensified, Saudi journalist Hussein al-Ghawai accused Emirati influencer Amjad Taha and commentator Hani Mashhour of orchestrating a coordinated online campaign against Riyadh. 

خلال الأربعة الأيام الماضية فقط ..

قاد أمجد طه @amjadt25 ومعه هاني مسهور حملة إلكترونية واسعة ، استُخدم فيها أكثر من 10 آلاف حساب آلي للترويج لهاشتاق " العدوان السعودي " في محاولة لإثارة الفتنة وضرب العلاقة بين السعودية والجنوبيين !!

—- pic.twitter.com/LUZTPP2xGZ

— حسين الغاوي (@halgawi) December 31, 2025

“Over the past four days alone,” he wrote, “more than 10,000 bot accounts were used to promote the hashtag ‘Saudi aggression’ in an attempt to stir strife and damage the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the southerners.” MEE could not independently verify the claim. 

More provocative posts followed. 

A widely followed account known as “Columbuos”, speculated to be associated with a senior Saudi figure, circulated a nationalist video praising Saudi Arabia, set to English-language lyrics referring to the defeat of “the fire of the devil”, an apparent allusion to imagery long circulated online by Emirati critics portraying UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as Iblis (Satan).

والفتنة اللي شبّها (ابليس اللعين)
جاها محمد ثم ماتت فالمهد... pic.twitter.com/0rCfXKHnvd

— كولومبوس 🐪 (@Columbuos) January 6, 2026

Dubai businessman Khalaf Ahmad al-Habtoor posted poetic verses attributed to Imam al-Shafi’i contrasting “lions” and “dogs”, writing: “Do not think that the barking of dogs elevates them above their masters. Lions remain lions, and dogs remain dogs.” The post was widely interpreted by Saudi users as an insult.

Politics explained slowly, using your claims… https://t.co/bXCP8BQ36S pic.twitter.com/9NhOEDyd2a

— أحمد شريف العامري (@ahhmedshh) January 2, 2026

While Saudi Arabia and the UAE have quietly diverged for years on issues ranging from oil production to the war in Sudan, analysts say the dispute is now entering a more public phase, with further ruptures expected this year.