Fez – The United Arab Emirates has said it intercepted two ballistic missiles claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels over Abu Dhabi early this morning.
The Emirati capital has been the theater of similar attacks in the past week, with Houthi rebels increasingly targeting both the UAE and Saudi Arabia as regional tensions escalate.
In a statement, the UAE Defense Ministry said that shrapnel rained over various regions of Abu Dhabi after military defenses deflected two ballistic missiles, but there was no damage or loss of life.
The UAE claimed it destroyed the Houthi platforms responsible for the attacks shortly after the missiles were fired from Yemen’s northern Al Jawf region, more than 1,270 kilometers (790 miles) from Abu Dhabi. The Emirati government also said it was “taking all required procedures to protect the country from attacks.”
On January 17, Yemen’s Houthi militants launched a drone strike on a vital oil complex in Abu Dhabi, killing three people and setting fire to the city’s international airport.
Read also: The African Union Condemns Houthi Drone Attack in UAE
The Houthis promised to intensify assaults over the UAE after claiming responsibility for last week’s attack.
The UAE vowed to retaliate, saying it has the right to respond to “these terrorist actions and criminal escalation.”
Many regional and global powers have strongly condemned the attacks, pointing out that they heighten tensions in an increasingly volatile Persian Gulf amid the long-running conflict in Yemen.
Following last week’s attacks, Morocco’s foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the “terrorist attack” that killed three civilians.
In a phone call with Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyane, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Supreme Vice Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, King Mohammed VI reiterated Morocco’s readiness to stand by the UAE in the face of terrorism.
