By Jamal Al-Awadhi

In recent days, documents attributed to Saudi journalists have resurfaced, alleging that the United Arab Emirates was behind assassinations targeting southern Yemeni figures at the start of the war in 2015. The revival of these claims more than a decade later cannot be understood outside the context of the political and media confusion now dominating the Saudi narrative on the Yemeni file.

What is striking about this campaign is not only its content, but its timing and method. Recycling old accusations that were previously raised and quietly dropped due to a lack of evidence, and presenting them today as “new discoveries,” reflects a clear state of disarray and raises serious questions about the real motives behind this belated discourse.

From a political and legal standpoint, accusing the UAE of carrying out acts of violence or assassinations in southern Yemen since 2015 amounts to an implicit admission that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was a direct partner in those actions, given that this period unfolded within the framework of an Arab coalition led by Riyadh, which held ultimate political and military authority. This is a logical conclusion that cannot be ignored or selectively interpreted to serve momentary media needs.

More troubling is the reopening of these files after ten years. Rather than condemning any particular party, this move exposes the confusion of those driving this narrative. The assassination files and accusation campaigns along with the mechanisms used to exploit them are well known: who managed them, who invested in them, and who weaponized them politically for years. The only “new” element today is the attempt to repackage them at a sensitive regional moment, in a manner that clearly lacks even a minimum level of political acumen.

What is currently being promoted amounts to little more than regional media fireworks aimed at domestic consumption and the settling of old scores, rather than a genuine effort to uncover facts or pursue justice. The international community and the system of international law do not operate on noise or emotional campaigns, but on verifiable facts, logical reasoning, and clear legal responsibility.

Unfortunately, these standards appear entirely absent from the current Saudi approach to managing the Yemeni file. The outcome is not the indictment of one party or another, but a deeper erosion of credibility—and a stark exposure of the confusion surrounding a narrative that should have been closed years ago, not resurrected today in such a belated and disordered manner.