Satellite images provided by Planet Labs PBC show the aftermath of an attack claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a fuel depot belonging to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in the Mussafah vicinity of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, January 22, 2022.
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Satellite images provided by Planet Labs PBC show the aftermath of an attack claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a fuel depot belonging to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in the Mussafah vicinity of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, January 22, 2022.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The United Arab Emirates intercepted two ballistic missiles claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels over Abu Dhabi early Monday, authorities said. know, the second attack in a week on the capital of the Emirate.
The rocket fire further escalated tensions across the Persian Gulf, which has previously seen a series of close – but never disreputable – attacks on Emirati soil amid the protracted war. years of Yemen and the collapse of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
The attacks threaten the tourism-focused, business-friendly efforts of Emirates, a confederation of seven kingdoms on the Arabian Peninsula that is also home to Dubai. For years, the country has marketed itself as a safe corner of another perilous region.
This satellite image provided by Planet Labs PBC shows the aftermath of an attack claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s fuel depot in the Mussafah neighborhood of Abu Dhabi. , United Arab Emirates, Saturday, January 22, 2022.
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This satellite image provided by Planet Labs PBC shows the aftermath of an attack claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s fuel depot in the Mussafah neighborhood of Abu Dhabi. , United Arab Emirates, Saturday, January 22, 2022.
AP
Videos on social media showed the Abu Dhabi sky brightening before dawn on Monday, with what appeared to be interceptor missiles slamming into the clouds to target the oncoming flames. Two explosions then resounded throughout the city. The videos correspond to the known characteristics of Abu Dhabi.
State news agency WAM said the rocket fragments that landed in Abu Dhabi were harmless.
Emirates “is ready and prepared to respond to any threat and take all necessary measures to protect the state from any attack”, WAM quoted the UAE defense ministry as saying.
The rocket launch disrupted traffic into Abu Dhabi International Airport, home to long-haul airline Etihad, for about an hour after the attack.
Houthi military spokesman Yehia Sarea announced the attack in a televised statement, saying the rebels targeted the UAE with both ballistic missiles and drones. He warned the UAE would continue to be targeted “as long as the attacks on the people of Yemen continue.”
“We warn foreign companies and investors to leave Emirates!” Sarea shouted from the podium. “This has become an unsafe country!”
The US Embassy in Abu Dhabi later issued a security alert for Americans living in the UAE, warning citizens to “maintain a high level of security awareness.” The alert includes instructions on how to respond to missile attacks, something that has never happened before in the UAE, a tourist destination that houses Dubai and long-haul airline Emirates.
The attack comes a week after Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced an attack on the Emirate’s capital targeting the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s airport and fuel depot in the Mussafah area. The attack on the fuel depot killed three people and injured six others.
New, high-resolution satellite photos obtained by AP from Planet Labs PBC show repair work still underway at the fuel depot on Saturday. UAE officials have not released images of the hacked websites, nor have they allowed journalists to view them.
In recent days, a Saudi-led coalition backed by the UAE has carried out punitive air strikes targeting Yemen, knocking the world’s poorest Arab country off the Internet and killing more than 80 people in a detention center.
The Houthis have threatened to take revenge on the Emirates and Saudi Arabia for those attacks. On Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition said a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis had landed at an industrial park in Jizan, Saudi Arabia, injuring a foreigner.
Iran’s hardline daily Kayhan, appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has published a front-page article quoting Houthi officials that the UAE will be attacked again with headlines Subject: “Evacuated from the commercial district of Tower Emirate.”
The newspaper in 2017 faced a two-day publishing ban after it published a headline that said Dubai was the “next target” of the Houthis.
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Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre, Malak Harb and Lujain Jo in Dubai, Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.
