On Monday, Yemen's internationally recognized government joined a diplomatic and economic freeze of Qatar led by Saudi Arabia and including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. All four nations said they would cut sea and air ties with Qatar, and Saudi Arabia vowed to cut off Qatar's land border to the Arabian peninsula; Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain gave Qatari diplomats 48 hours to leave, and Saudi Arabia said Qatar's forces will be pulled from the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Qatar's Foreign Affairs Ministry protested that there was "no legitimate justification" for the actions by its fellow Sunni Arab states, vowing that the citizens of the extremely wealthy oil and gas producing country won't be affected by the "violation of its sovereignty."
In an economic blow, UAE airlines Emirates, Etihad, and FlyDubai all announced they will cease flying to Doha, Qatar's capital, and it's unclear if Qatar Airways, a major long-haul carrier, will be able to continue flying through Saudi airspace. The U.S. has a major military base, the al-Udeid Air Base, in Qatar, hosting 10,000 U.S. troops and the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command. Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. The Navy, Pentagon, and CENTOM all declined to say if or how U.S. operations will be affected by the conflict. All the countries involved are U.S. allies.
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