Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AP) -United Arab Emirates and US troops intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi rebels in Yemen in the skies of Abu Dhabi earlier Monday, officials said.
Missile launches further increase tensions throughout the Persian Gulf, which previously experienced a series of assaults near the soil of Emirati. It happens between Yemen’s many years of war and the collapse of Iran’s nuclear deal with the world’s great powers. 2,000 U.S. troops at the capital Al Dhafra Air Base evacuated to a bunker during the attack and launched a Patriot missile. This is a rare fire recurrence.
The attack threatens the business-friendly, tourism-focused efforts of Emirates, the seven Emirates of the Arabian Peninsula, which is also home to Dubai. For years, the country has touted itself as a safe corner of an otherwise dangerous neighborhood.
In a social media video, the sky in Abu Dhabi brightened before dawn on Monday, and interceptor missiles appeared to jump into the clouds and aim for the incoming fire. After that, two explosions struck the city. The video corresponded to a known feature of Abu Dhabi.
State-owned WAM news outlets said missile debris had fallen harmlessly into Abu Dhabi.
“We are ready to deal with all threats and … we are taking all necessary steps to protect our nation from all attacks,” Emirates quoted the UAE Ministry of Defense.
Navy Captain Bill Urban, a US Central Army spokesman, confirmed in a statement that the Houthi missile was prevented from attacking Abu Dhabi’s targets with the help of the battery of the American Patriot missile. A video on social media suggested that the fire of the outgoing interceptor came from the base.
“Joint efforts have successfully prevented both missiles from affecting the base,” Urban said.
A missile fire disrupted traffic to Abu Dhabi International Airport, home of the long-range airline Etihad Airways, about an hour after the attack.
Houthi spokesman Yehia Sarei claimed the attack in a statement on television, saying rebels had targeted several UAE sites with both Zulfiqar ballistic missiles and drones, including the Al Dhafra Air Base. He warned that the UAE would remain a target “as long as the attacks on the Yemeni people continue.”
“We warn foreign companies and investors to leave Emirates!” Saray shouted from the podium. “This has become a dangerous country!”
Dubai Financial Market closed nearly 2% after the attack, with almost all businesses declining. The Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange also fell slightly.
According to the U.S. Air Force’s Middle East Command, U.S. forces evacuated to a bunker during an attack in Ardafra, which houses both U.S. and British troops. Al Dhafra has the 380th Air Expedition, with armed drones and F-35 stealth fighters stationed there.
The US Embassy in Abu Dhabi later issued a security warning to Americans living in the UAE, warning citizens to “maintain a high level of security awareness.” The alert included instructions on how to deal with a missile attack that has never been seen in Dubai, which is studded with skyscrapers and the UAE, home of its long-haul airline Emirates.
“If these types of attacks occur weekly, as in Saudi Arabia, the perception of the UAE threat situation changes,” said Torbjorn Soltvedt, an analyst at risk consultant Verisk Maplecroft. “Once attacks on private infrastructure are seen, there are concerns about the spread of the infection.”
The White House said U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with both the Houthi and Saudi ambassadors on Monday to discuss the recent Houthi attack and “a joint effort to hold the Houthi accountable.” rice field. He also “emphasized the importance of all parties to the dispute in compliance with their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
The Emirati Defense Ministry later tweeted a black-and-white video stating that the F-16 had attacked the ballistic missile launcher used in the Abu Dhabi attack. The Ministry of Defense has identified this location in the state of Jowf, Yemen. Satellite images of Planet Labs PBC, analyzed by the Associated Press early Tuesday, confirmed that the strike took place near the city of Alhazm, about 1,350 km (840 miles) southwest of Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi’s national newspaper, The National, identified the F-16 as an Emirati and raised the question of how the UAE is now directly involved in combat after withdrawing most ground forces in 2019. The ground, including the Giants Brigade, which has advanced against the Houthi in recent weeks.
The Zulfiqar ballistic missile, which is estimated to have a range of 1,500 km (930 miles), is modeled after the Iranian Qiam missile, according to a report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Iran has denied the Houthi’s direct armament, but UN experts, Western nations and analysts have tied rebel weapons to Tehran.
Tim Wright, a research analyst at IISS, said: “In this case, it is to bring them back to their support of the Giants Brigade.”
The attack took place a week after Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed to have attacked the airport and the fuel depot of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in the Musaffah district with drones and cruise missiles. The attack on the fuel depot killed three people and injured six.
A new high-resolution satellite image taken by AP from Planet Labs showed the repair work still underway at the fuel depot on Saturday. Emirati authorities have not published images of the attacked site and have not allowed journalists to show them.
Recently, a Saudi-led coalition in support of a penal airstrike targeting Yemen by the United Arab Emirates knocked out the poorest countries in the Arab world from the Internet for several days, killing more than 80 people in detention centers. The internet was reopened in Yemen early Tuesday, according to data from advocacy group NetBlocks and internet company Cloudflare.
The Houthis threatened to take revenge on Emirates and Saudi Arabia for these attacks. On Sunday, a Saudi-led coalition said a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi landed in the industrial area of Jazan, Saudi Arabia. The missile tore a deep crater on the ground, showing television footage, and two foreigners of Bangladeshi and Sudanese nationalities were slightly injured.
The hard-line Iranian daily Kayhan published a front-page article citing Houthi officials under the headline that the UAE will be attacked again just Sunday, with the editor-in-chief appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tower. ”
The 2017 newspaper faced a two-day ban after Dubai posted the headline Houthi’s “next target.”
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Washington Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor. Isabel DeBre, Malak Harb, Lujain Jo in Dubai; This report was contributed by Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran and Samy Magdy in Cairo.
