AL MUKALLA, Yemen >> The United Arab Emirates said today that it was pulling its remaining troops out of Yemen, hours after a Saudi-led airstrike targeted a UAE shipment, an episode that has laid bare the deepening rift between two Persian Gulf powerhouses.

Source close to kingdom's government says Riyadh adopting a 'wait-and-see' position amid tensions between neighbors over their backing of opposing forces in war-torn Yemen

This comes after a Saudi demand to withdraw within 24 hours as tensions escalate over a sweeping offensive by Abu Dhabi-backed separatists.

The statement comes after heightened tensions in Yemen over the past hours as the arrival of an alleged UAE-linked arms shipment to southern Yemen triggered a military response by the Saudi-led coalition forces.

YEMEN: Saudi Arabia declared a UAE-backed separatist advance in Yemen a threat to the kingdom's national security on Tuesday (Dec 30) and called Abu Dhabi's actions "highly dangerous", as the rivalry between the Gulf monarchies boiled over into an open dispute.The strongly worded foreign ministry statement ca