Yemen’s Huthi rebels claimed attacks in Abu Dhabi that triggered a fuel tank blast killing three people on January 17, and warned civilians and foreign firms in the UAE to avoid “vital installations”.
The UAE is part of a Saudi-led military coalition that supports Yemen’s government against the Iran-backed Huthis, and the coalition launched retaliatory raids against Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa late on January 17, without any immediate reports of casualties.
The Huthis have repeatedly carried out cross-border drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, but this is the first deadly assault acknowledged by the UAE inside its borders and claimed by the Yemeni insurgents, who said they had fired ballistic missiles and deployed armed drones.
Abdul Ilah Hajar, adviser to the president of the Huthis’ Supreme Political Council in Sanaa, said the military operation in Abu Dhabi was a warning shot.
“We sent them a clear warning message by hitting places that are not of great strategic importance,” he said.
“But it is a warning if the UAE continues its hostility to Yemen, it will not be able in the future to withstand the coming strikes.”
The US vowed to hold the Huthis “accountable”, while Britain, France and Gulf powers all likewise strongly condemned the attacks in the UAE.
Two Indians and a Pakistani working for oil giant ADNOC died as three petrol tanks exploded near a storage facility, while a fire also ignited in a construction area at Abu Dhabi airport in the heart of the UAE, a renowned safe haven in the volatile Middle East.
Police said “small flying objects, possibly belonging to drones” were found at both sites.
“We condemn the Huthi terrorist militia’s targeting of civilian areas and facilities on UAE soil today . . . this sinful targeting will not go unpunished,” UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan said in a statement, as his ministry described the attack as a “heinous criminal escalation”.
Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said that the insurgents had “carried out . . . a successful military operation” against “important and sensitive Emirati sites” using both ballistic missiles and drones.
The Huthis warned civilians and foreign firms in the UAE to avoid “vital installations”.
Late on January 17, the official Saudi Press Agency reported that the coalition had launched retaliatory air strikes against Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa. The Huthis’ Al-Masirah TV channel confirmed those raids.
The escalation follows a surge in fighting in Yemen, including advances by UAE-trained troops.
The rebels have previously threatened to target Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the gleaming crown jewels of the UAE, which last year opened its first nuclear power plant.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan pledged that Washington will “work with the UAE and international partners to hold” the Huthis accountable, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the rebels’ move threatened the security of both the UAE and the wider region.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she condemned “in the strongest terms” the Huthis’ “terrorist attacks” – terminology also used in condemnations by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Israel said it also stood with the UAE.