CAIRO: The United Arab Emirates' minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, said late on Saturday that "the Saudi-UAE coalition is a strategic necessity in light of the surrounding challenges, and Yemen is a clear example."

"As a result of our strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia, it is the one deciding whether to continue our role in supporting stability in Yemen within the Arab coalition or not," Gargash said in another tweet. "Our engagement with Riyadh is ontological and more comprehensive, especially in the surrounding difficult circumstances and in light of our firm conviction of Riyadh's pivotal and leading role."

(Reporting by Samar Hassan Writing by Nayera Abdallah Editing by Leslie Adler)