Houthis target Abu Dhabi with further ballistic missile attacks
The United Arab Emirates said that it had averted an attack from Yemen’s Houthi fighters and intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles targeting the country, state media reported on Monday.
State-run WAM news agency said air defence forces had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles targeting the UAE, fired by the “Houthi terrorist militia”.
The defence ministry said that there were no casualties.
The government has “full readiness to deal with any threats,” and will “take all necessary measures to protect the UAE from any attacks,” said the report quoting the ministry.
The missile fire interrupted services at Abu Dhabi International Airport for an hour after the attack, reported Associated Press.
Videos on social media showed the sky above Abu Dhabi light up with lights looking like the two interceptor missiles.
🇦🇪 NEW - Video of UAE air defences launching to intercept a missile attack in the vicinity of Al Shahama area of Abu Dhabi, UAE. pic.twitter.com/uKxp6ExVCz
— Alex Tiffin (@RespectIsVital) January 24, 2022
The attack comes a week after another attack on UAE left three people dead and six wounded as tensions escalate amid Yemen’s ongoing civil war.
Houthi fighters claimed responsibility for the attack involving three petroleum tankers and an airport construction site in Abu Dhabi.
After the missiles were intercepted, Houthi fighters threatened to ramp up attacks on the UAE, reported news agency AFP.
In a statement released Monday, the defence ministry said that an F-16 destroyed a ballistic missile launcher in Al Jawf, immediately after it launched two weapons at AbuDhabi.
Ministry of Defence Joint Operations Command announces that at 04:10, Yemen time, an F-16 destroyed a ballistic missile launcher in Al Jawf, immediately after it launched two ballistic missiles at #AbuDhabi. They were successfully intercepted by our air defence systems. pic.twitter.com/kSbnwyQ7l8
— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) January 24, 2022
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen also announced on Monday that a separate ballistic missile that was launched towards Dhahran Al-Janoub in the kingdom’s Asir region had been destroyed and two residents had been injured, reported Al Jazeera.
The statement said that a Bangladeshi and a Sudanese were injured as fragments from the missile hit some shops and cards in the industrial zone in Dhahran Al-Janoub.
The Houthi fighters had promised revenge after the Saudi-led coalition ramped up air strikes recently.
Last week air strikes in Saada hit a prison run by the Houthi fighters and killed at least 82 detainees according to the Houthi fighters.
The air strikes have also left Yemen without internet connectivity for days.
Tensions have escalated in the war between Iranian-backed Houthi rebels against a Saudi-led coalition of which UAE is a member. Saudi Arabia and the UAE intervened in Yemen in 2015 after the Houthis pushed the internationally-recognised government out, after capturing large parts of the country.
