Algeria said Thursday it was closing its airspace to Emirati-registered civilian and military aircraft after cutting diplomatic ties with the Gulf country following years of tension.

In a statement announcing the severing of diplomatic relations, Algiers accused the Gulf country of "provocative and hostile acts", but it remained unclear what triggered the rupture.

The Algerian defence ministry said the airspace ban would go into effect Friday, with the exception of commercial flights to and from Algiers airport, which would continue until the end of 2026.

‘Exhausting all avenues’

The North African country, which has signalled for months a diplomatic break, said the decision came "after exhausting all avenues to preserve bilateral relations" with the UAE.

The Emirati foreign ministry later said it hoped the decision would be temporary so as to maintain "fraternal ties" with Algeria.

The Algerian foreign ministry said it had warned Abu Dhabi several times but the UAE "persisted in its actions, reaching a point where they could no longer be considered acceptable or tolerable".

"Algeria spared no effort to draw the Emirati side's attention to, and to warn it against, the dire consequences that could result from its regrettable and unjustified conduct," the ministry said.

In a televised interview in July, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said a diplomatic break "would have happened long ago" had Algeria not sought to avoid "deepening divisions" in the Arab world.

On Thursday, Algiers said it was giving the UAE ambassador 48 hours "to comply with the decision".