In addition to the historical rivalry there is a more subtle reason. In the recent few months, we have witnessed the skirmish between SA and UAE. Then Ahmed bin Othman al-Tuwaijri, a Saudi “intellectual” published an article in which he asserted that UAE is a trojan horse of Israel https://www.al-jazirah.com/2026/20260122/fe3.htm If one is looking for a live example of the proverb "The pot calling the kettle black" than this article is the best example of it. Who has any doubt about the relationship between SA and Israel? Contrary to the claims of the author, this article was not some independent thought of some independent “intellectual”. No one can write such an article in SA without the blessing of MBS. Why did MBS allow this article to be published? Because in the mind of MBS, UAE is trying to out smart him and as such needs to be cut down to size. MBS knows that UAE is basically a huge shopping mall and would not be able to sustain a few days of war. UAE is 88% foreign nationals, and they will fly back to their countries if the shopping mall is hit. The latest report by CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/28/middleeast/dubai-airport-uae-iran-attacks-intl-hnk states “Dubai was almost unrecognizable on Sunday. On a winter weekend – peak tourist season – the city’s beaches, malls and hotel brunches would normally be full. Instead, highways were largely empty and…..” Here is the situation of a public beach in Dubai.
SA on the other hand is huge and can sustain a few barrages of missiles and drones. This war in MBS’s mind is the proverbial, killing two birds with one stone. Directly attacking UAE, a neighbor Arab/Muslim country, would look bad. Let Israel do it, that has the added benefit of being able to show sympathy at some later appropriate time. Just like mafia boss going to the funeral of his victim and shedding tears. But what MBS does not realize or does not care is that the greater Israel project includes significant parts of SA.
