The Houthi rebel movement in Yemen announced last night (Monday) that it had carried out a military attack on the UAE, while authorities in Abu Dhabi declared suspicion of skimmer attacks on an industrial area and the airport, in which three people were killed and six wounded.
The UAE government news agency quoted Abu Dhabi police as saying that a Pakistani and two Indians had been killed in the incident.
According to police, three oil-carrying trucks exploded in an area near the city’s port, near storage facilities used by Abu Dhabi’s national oil company. At the same time, a “minor fire” broke out in a construction area at Abu Dhabi International Airport, the news agency said, adding that preliminary investigation had uncovered items that may have been UAVs at the two sites.
Later that night, the Houthi official website claimed that airstrikes hit the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in which nine people were killed and others wounded.
The Houthi rebels are backed by Iran and have often carried out UAV attacks during Yemen’s long-running civil war, which has put them in front of an array of local factions, including the Saudi-backed government of the country.
The Houthis have also claimed responsibility for missile and UAV attacks across the Yemeni border, mainly targeting areas in Saudi Arabia but also the United Arab Emirates – claims previously denied by the UAE authorities.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan condemned the Houthi attack in a statement: “The Houthis have taken responsibility for this attack, and we will work with the United Arab Emirates and international partners to hold them accountable,” he said. “The United Arab Emirates is unwavering and we stand by our emirate partners against all threats to their territory.”
Anwar Garagash, a senior diplomat in the Emirates, condemned what he called the “sinful attack of the Houthis” in a statement posted on Twitter, in a rare recognition by the Emirates of an attack on their territory.
In September 2019, a series of drone strikes claimed that the Houthis had caused severe damage to Saudi oil facilities, freezing half of the kingdom’s output for days.
A Saudi-led military coalition said last night it intercepted several drones launched at Saudi Arabia following attacks on the UAE.