Riyadh(ANN)- Saudi Arabia is making great efforts to maintain the cohesion of a military coalition fighting the Houthi group in Yemen after the UAE-backed separatist coup in Aden, Reuters reported.

It said the UAE had publicly intervened in favor of southern separatists fighting the Saudi-backed government for control of the southern part of Yemen and launched air strikes on government forces trying to regain control of the port city of Aden.

The escalation threatens to further damage the Saudi-UAE alliance and encourage the Houthi movement, which the coalition has fought to fight.

“Saudi Arabia finds itself in a dilemma,” the International Crisis Group said in a recent report, according to an agency report on Monday.

“By contrast, failure to act or make what the government considers too generous concessions to the Southern Transitional Council (NTC) could sow discord among the Hadi government and the Islah party.”

According to “Reuters“, the current crisis increases the difficulties faced by Riyadh in weakening the Houthis, who control most of the major urban centers and it also indicates that the confrontation in Aden is evidence of Hadi’s inability to rule.

Read More: Yemen to take legal measures against UAE

The UAE, which led the coalition’s limited gains in the war, scaled back its presence in Yemen in June as Western criticism of the alliance escalated, placing a blame for unpopular war on Saudi Arabia.

Diplomats said the aim of reducing the UAE’s presence in Yemen was to project Abu Dhabi as a more mature partner and peacemaker as Western allies pressed for an end to the war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.

Read More: Hadi pulls forces out of Yemen’s Aden amid UAE attack

Diplomats say this is due to the UAE’s acceptance that a military solution cannot be reached as a result of international criticism of the coalition airstrikes.