The UAE’s royal family, who have been on the front lines of the conflict in Yemen for years, are preparing to take a break from the front line to take part in a yacht tour.
Prince Mohammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the emir and current president of the UAE, has been making a series of visits to the country in recent months, where he has visited the Houthi rebels in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has been providing arms and funding.
He has also met the head of Saudi Arabia’s national airline, which is providing fighter jets to the Saudi-led coalition.
The UAE has already announced that it will be sending warships to the Gulf region in the next few weeks to protect the kingdom from the Houthis and to deter further Iranian military action.
But on Friday, the UAE’s state news agency reported that the president had also been in Saudi Arabia on a “special trip” to visit the Saudi Royal Family, a royal family that has been in power for decades.
The UAE was in a position to have stopped the Houthics from taking over Yemen, the news agency said.
However, the trip is part of the ongoing diplomatic efforts between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which are focused on resolving the civil war.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE signed a peace agreement in 2013.
The two countries have been at loggerheads over the Houthys continued military offensive in Yemen.
The Houthis have captured key areas and held out in the face of Saudi airstrikes.